Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing a wave of backlash after casting doubt on whether Hamas is anything more than a “political organization.”
Carlson made the remarks during a recent episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, his independent podcast, in which he also criticized Israel for striking Gaza’s only Catholic church, an attack that killed three people. Israel has said the incident is under investigation.
Discussing the church strike, Carlson argued that the IDF were engaging in “self-destructive behavior” by shelling religious sites. He then pivoted to a broader claim questioning Hamas’s nature.
“They’re Islamist extremists, which they also claim. Constantly. I don’t know if that’s true, by the way. Seems more like a political organization,” Carlson said, before adding, “But whatever it is, they’re telling us constantly that they’re Al-Qaeda.”
The comments sparked immediate outrage across the political spectrum, given Hamas’s long-documented record of terrorism, suicide bombings, and its own charter calling for jihad and the destruction of Israel.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted Carlson in a sharp post on X: “Now, @TuckerCarlson doesn’t know if Hamas is a terrorist organization. (‘Elmo is just asking questions….’) What the hell happened to Tucker?? He’s turning into Ilhan Omar.”
Now, @TuckerCarlson doesn’t know if Hamas is a terrorist organization. (“Elmo is just asking questions….”)
What the hell happened to Tucker?? He’s turning into Ilhan Omar. https://t.co/rGCuZ3rGAa
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 6, 2025
Right-wing commentator Mark Levin, a longtime Carlson critic, derisively dubbed him “Qatarlson” — a jab at accusations that Carlson’s commentary aligns with anti-Israel narratives. “Qatarlson doesn’t know if Hamas is a terrorist group,” Levin wrote.
Seth Dillon, CEO of the satirical Babylon Bee, also weighed in with a serious rebuke, noting Hamas’s founding ideology includes “jihad as its path” and “‘Death for the sake of Allah’ as its highest aspiration.”
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2 Responses
The clip is missing the entire context; what exactly was the discussion? The guy is not an idiot; he could not seriously deny that Hamas is a terrorist organization. It sounds like his question is how it’s possible that Christians could be members of that organization, unlike in terrorist groups that identify as Muslim.
Its incredibly irresponsible for for a YWN, a “reputable” news organization, to use AI generated images in it’s articles. This picture literally has a “grok” ai watermark.