The British broadcaster engaged in a "major breach" of broadcasting rules by failing to disclose that the voice of a film about the Gaza situation was the son of a Hamas administrator, according to UK media regulator Ofcom.
An inquiry by the broadcasting watchdog into the programme Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has concluded that the film was "significantly deceptive".
The head of the BBC had earlier expressed regret, noting there had been "a significant failing in relation to accuracy".
Ofcom has ordered the BBC to broadcast a prime-time statement about its findings.
"Given this constitutes a major infringement of our regulations, we are ordering the corporation to broadcast a announcement of our determinations against it on BBC2 at 9pm, with a schedule to be confirmed," it said.
'Possibility to Undermine Credibility'
The regulator's announcement declared: "Our probe determined that the documentary's lack of disclosure that the presenter's parent held a role in the Hamas-administered authority was materially misleading.
"Consequently that the audience did not have vital facts which may have been extremely pertinent to their judgment of the presenter and the details he shared.
"Trust is at the center of the bond between a television network and its audience, particularly for a national broadcasting corporation such as the BBC.
"This oversight had the risk to damage the exceptionally strong levels of confidence that audiences would have placed in a factual film from the broadcaster about the conflict in Gaza."
The documentary was withdrawn from the BBC's streaming service in the month of February after the boy's familial connections came to light, and in the month of July an corporation's own inquiry determined it violated the organization's content policies on accuracy.
A representative for the broadcaster said: "The authority's determination is in agreement with the conclusions of the internal assessment, that there was a significant failing in the film in relation to the corporation's content standards on factual correctness, which corresponds to Rule 2.2 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
"We have apologised for this and we accept the regulator's ruling in its entirety. We will comply with the directive as soon as the timing and wording are finalised."
