Comedian Dawn French Apologises for Mocking Tone in Israel-Hamas Video

British comedian Dawn French issued an unreserved apology after posting a video about the Israel-Hamas conflict that was widely criticized for its mocking tone and perceived one-sidedness. In the video, French used alternating normal and high-pitched voices to comment on the conflict, including a line describing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people, as a "bad thing." She removed the video following backlash and clarified that her intention was never to belittle the horror of the attack or ensuing violence, but to criticize the cruel leadership on all sides of the conflict. French expressed sorrow for the innocent victims who were killed, tortured, raped, and kidnapped, and acknowledged that her failure to explicitly condemn Hamas made the video appear biased. She described feeling helpless witnessing the ongoing carnage and destruction, particularly the suffering of children, and apologized for causing offense. French emphasized that her aim was to highlight the destructiveness of the war and the dangerous behavior of its leaders, not to dismiss the human tragedy involved.