A former BBC television director has warned that the broadcaster risks becoming a mouthpiece for Hamas as he criticised coverage of the conflict with Israel.

       Danny Cohen, director of BBC TV between 2013 and 2015, said the corportation's coverage of events in Gaza had drawn an “appalling false equivalence” between the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Israel's Palestinian prisoners.

       Mr Cohen claimed that journalists have underplayed the hardship experience by the former, while simultaneously emphasising the suffering endured by Palestinian prisoners.

       The ex-TV chief also said that the BBC has failed to mention that a number of the Palestinian prisoners committed terror crimes, such as bombings and knife attacks, the Telegraph reports.

       READ MORE: Hamas releases 3 Israeli hostages with vile hourglass stunt [REPORT]

       In a report, Mr Cohen wrote: “In their rush to gloss over the undeniable torture, starvation and beatings that hostages have endured and their determination to highlight claims of poor conditions in Israel’s jails, the BBC is repeatedly drawing offensive false equivalence between victims of war crimes and hundreds of convicted violent offenders.

       “The BBC is at risk of becoming a Hamas propaganda mouthpiece.

       "They have repeatedly given a free pass to terrorists who have committed violent racist murder.

       "It will be very hard for many in the Jewish community to ever forget it.”

       READ MORE:

       Hamas caves in midst of ceasefire deal fears as it makes pledge on hostages [REPORT]

       Gaza ceasefire deal on brink as Netanyahu sends troops to Gaza [ANALYSIS]

       Arab states will unveil plan to neutralise Hamas [REPORT]

       He added that reporters failed to point out the crimes committed by jailed Palestinian fighters, while going out of their way to highlight the scenes of joy at them being reunited with their families, as well as their apparently emaciated appearance after years spent in Israeli jails.

       Critics have also pointed out that in the first two hours of the BBC's coverage of hostage releases on Saturday, Hamas personnel were referred to as “armed militants”, “gunmen”, “members” and “local health officials”, but not as terrorists.

       Neither was the group described as a proscribed terrorist organisation.

       A BBC spokesman told the Telegraph: “We have studied this report and we do not accept its premise. The examples it gives are of the BBC’s factual reporting and observation of events, and of appropriate challenge in interviews.

       “The BBC has reported extensively on the Israeli hostages and their experiences, including interviews with their families. It has been clear about the Palestinians’ status as prisoners, and has reported on their crimes and also on the fact that some have been detained without charge.”