CNN commentator Van Jones is apologizing after dismissive remarks he made about videos showing Palestinian children killed in Gaza drew intense backlash.
During an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” last Friday, Jones described online videos showing dead Palestinian children as part of a “massive disinformation campaign” led by Iran and Qatar. His comments, which drew laughter and applause from the studio audience, quickly circulated online and sparked widespread backlash.
“If you open your phone, and all you see is dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy,” Jones said on the show. “Dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby… That’s basically your whole feed.”
The comments, viewed by many as minimizing the devastation in Gaza, called out Jones for trivializing the loss of Palestinian lives, with one social media user calling his remarks “truly disgraceful and vile.”
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On Sunday, Jones apologized in a post on X, acknowledging his words were “insensitive and hurtful.”
“I made a comment on Real Time with Bill Maher about the war in Gaza that was insensitive and hurtful. I apologize,” Jones wrote. “The suffering of the people of Gaza — especially the children — is not a punch line. I’m deeply sorry it came across that way.”
He added: “I’m praying and working for an immediate end to this war — and for peace and safety for every family caught in its path. I’m truly sorry for the pain my words caused to people who are already suffering more than anyone should.”
Jones later clarified that he intended to call out foreign actors manipulating social media. “Yeah, I messed up on this one. And I’m sorry. I was trying to raise awareness about foreign adversaries creating chaos online – which is undermining democracy everywhere,” he wrote on a separate X post. “But what I said was easily misunderstood, and the way I said it was flat-out insensitive. Babies are dying every day in Gaza. Nobody should dispute that fact or make light of it in any way. To the people living in fear and burying family members every day, of all ages — I apologize.”
The apology comes as the war continues to escalate. Tuesday marked two years since Hamas’ reported coordinated attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken. According to the Associated Press, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians.
