The British broadcaster engaged in a "serious breach" of broadcasting rules by omitting to mention that the voice of a film about the Gaza situation was the offspring of a Hamas administrator, according to UK media regulator Ofcom.
An probe by Ofcom into the programme Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has determined that the film was "substantially inaccurate".
The BBC's director general had earlier expressed regret, stating there had been "a significant failing in relation to truthfulness".
Ofcom has ordered the broadcaster to transmit a prime-time announcement about its conclusions.
"Since this amounts to a significant violation of our regulations, we are instructing the broadcaster to transmit a message of our conclusions against it on BBC Two at nine o'clock in the evening, with a schedule to be finalised," the statement read.
'Risk to Erode Confidence'
The authority's statement stated: "Our investigation concluded that the documentary's lack of disclosure that the voice's male guardian held a role in the Hamas-run administration was substantially inaccurate.
"Consequently that the public did not have vital facts which may have been very significant to their judgment of the presenter and the details he presented.
"Credibility is at the heart of the connection between a media organization and its viewers, notably for a state-funded media outlet such as the BBC.
"This failing had the risk to erode the significantly high amounts of confidence that viewers would have invested in a BBC factual programme about the conflict in Gaza."
The programme was pulled from the BBC's streaming service in last February after the boy's family links were revealed, and in the month of July an internal BBC review concluded it infringed the organization's editorial guidelines on accuracy.
A corporation official stated: "The regulator's decision is in line with the results of Peter Johnston's review, that there was a major oversight in the film in relation to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines on accuracy, which reflects Rule 2.2 of the authority's broadcasting regulations.
"We expressed regret for this and we accept Ofcom's decision in full. We will follow the directive as soon as the timing and wording are determined."
