The BBC has come under fire after it reported two Swedish nationals shot dead in Brussels were victims of a terror attack amid a row over its refusal to describe Hamas as “terrorists”.

The broadcaster faced accusations of hypocrisy on Monday night after it published an article on the death of two football fans in a suspected Islamist attack in the Belgian capital.

Initially, the BBC headlined a story on its website: “Brussels shooting: Suspect at large after two Swedes killed in terror attack.”

Observers on social media pointed out the first headline appeared to go against its policy of not using the word “terrorists” to describe Hamas following atrocities carried out in southern Israel earlier this month.

Minutes after it was published on the BBC’s website, the headline was amended to eliminate any mention of terror. Instead, it read:  “Brussels shooting: Two Swedes killed and suspect still at large.”

The BBC admitted it had made an error.

A spokesman said: “This was a mistake - the headline should have attributed the words, so it was swiftly changed.”