Dave Chappelle has weighed in on the topic of the day as he casted his opinion on the Israeli-Hamas conflict, slamming what he called ‘war crimes’ from Israel.
The comedian is not afraid to speak his mind, on record for controversial views concerning the LGBTQ+ community which prompted a walkout from staff at Netflix and now he has spoken on one of the most divisive issues in the current political climate.
The 50-year-old criticised the decision by Israel to cut off water, electricity and food to Palestine as the war between the nation and Hamas enters its 15th day, and he accused Israel of war crimes.
He further said that people do not deserve to lose their jobs because of their views on the conflict, following reports of pro-Palestinians being fired, as per ‘The Wall Street Journal’.
He was criticised by the members of the audience, with some even walking out of his show after being asked about the actions of Hamas and being told to ‘shut up’.
Now over two weeks into the war, it’s reported that over 6,000 are dead and over 20,000 wounded, with 1.4 million Palestinians displaced and 120,000 Israelis similarly displaced. Israel continues to advance into Gaza territory.
Matthew McConaughey and Dave Chappelle cheer on the Warriors in eastern conference semi finals
Why did the war start?
On October 7, Hamas launched an offensive from Gaza into Israeli-held territory with over 5,000 rockets fired across the border, with paratroopers landing to capture land and hostages following skirmishes in the Mediterranean Sea and at the borders. The operation by the terrorist organisation was titled ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’.
The result led to Israel to first declare a state of emergency and then war, as Western leaders such as Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak to support Israel and condemn Hamas.
Consequently, many have lost their homes and livelihoods and even been killed and the conflict appears as though it will continue to rage on.
In the 15th day, Israel committed to increasing the intensity of air strikes and recommended those still remaining in northern Gaza should flee to the south.
The next phase of the war is anticipated to be a ground invasion by Israel into Palestinian land.