Gaza Daily is an emergency radio service launched by

BBC News Arabic BBC News Arabic ( ar, بي بي سي نيوز عربي), formerly BBC Arabic Television, is a television news channel broadcast to the Arab World by the BBC. It was launched on 11 March 2008. It is run by the BBC World Service and funded from the ...

in response to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip during the

Israel–Hamas War An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. On that day, Palestinian militant groups launched 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, a surp ...

to "provide listeners in Gaza with the latest information and developments as well as safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies".

Background

Israel–Hamas War

The Gaza Strip, a densely populated Palestinian territory, has faced significant challenges due to the conflict. Communication infrastructure disruptions caused by air strikes have left civilians without reliable access to essential information. In this context, the BBC World Service urgently produced a dedicated radio service that could deliver timely updates and safety advice to the affected population despite internet and phone infrastructure collapse.

BBC World Service

The

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. The World Service has responded to emergency situations in the past. Notably: * In May 2023, during the War in Sudan, BBC News Arabic initiated an emergency radio service. * In February 2022, BBC News Ukrainian extended TV bulletins following the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

. * In 2014, BBC Media Action launched a service for Gaza during the

2014 Gaza War The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge ( he, מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, translit=Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, ), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that h ...

Broadcasting

Gaza Daily launched on 3 November 2023, broadcasting on

mediumwave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...

AM radio at a frequency of 639 kHz from the British East Mediterranean Relay Station, situated by Lady's Mile Beach, Western Sovereign Base Area,

Akrotiri and Dhekelia Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory o ...

, which had remained unused by the BBC since April 2015.

Programming

Since Gaza Daily has run two daily programmes with content produced in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The programming consists of one daily programme at 1500 GMT and a daily update at 0500 GMT. Between and Gaza Daily ran a single daily programme at 1500 GMT.

Response

Liliane Landor, Director of BBC World Service, reported "BBC News Arabic are extremely well-placed to offer this vital service for the people of Gaza at a time of greatest need. Their expertise and specialist knowledge of the region, coupled with the BBC’s standing as the most trusted news source, ensures we can provide the essential information to Gaza’s civilians."

References

{{Israel-Hamas war BBC World Service foreign language stations Arabic-language radio stations Radio stations established in 2023 Reactions to the Israel–Hamas war