Van Jones faced a storm of criticism — led by Imam Omar Suleiman — after making shameful remarks about Gaza’s dead children on Real Time with Bill Maher, prompting an apology only after public outrage.
CNN commentator Van Jones has issued a public apology following widespread outrage over comments he made during his appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday night.
During the broadcast, Jones said:
“Iran and Qatar have come up with a disinformation campaign that they are running through TikTok and Instagram that is massive. If you are a young person, you are opening up your phone, and all you see is — dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby.”
The remarks sparked immediate backlash online, as many accused Jones of turning images of Palestinian children killed in Gaza into a punchline. Critics said the comment reflected a deep insensitivity toward the ongoing genocide and the suffering of civilians trapped in the besieged enclave.
Van Jones, Thomas Friedman, and Bill Maher all agree that outrage over images of dead Palestinian babies in Gaza is the result of an Iran-Qatari social media "disinformation campaign."
Russiagate normalized this fictional playbook of blaming any threat to elite imperatives on… pic.twitter.com/1B7Pev2ISA
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) October 4, 2025
NBC News correspondent Hala Gorani wrote that she had personally watched hundreds of hours of video footage from Gaza and confirmed that the images Jones referred to were authentic and not part of any “disinformation campaign.”
Imam Omar Suleiman was among the first to publicly denounce the comments, calling them “disgraceful and vile.” He said Jones’s words revealed a moral blindness toward the humanity of Gaza’s victims and condemned the attempt to trivialize their suffering while shifting blame to so-called “foreign disinformation.”
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. But what I said was easily misunderstood, and the way I said it was flat-out insensitive. Babies are dying… https://t.co/98MYOuhK2U
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) October 5, 2025
Suleiman’s post quickly went viral, drawing thousands of responses and reigniting debate over Western media’s treatment of Palestinian deaths.
Amid the growing criticism, Jones apologized on X, saying: “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.”
“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,” he added.
Van Jones later followed with a longer statement: “I made a comment on Real Time with Bill Maher about the war in Gaza that was insensitive and hurtful. I apologize. The suffering of the people of Gaza — especially the children — is not a punch line.”
“I’m deeply sorry it came across that way. What’s happening to children in Gaza is heartbreaking. As a father, I can’t begin to imagine the pain their parents are enduring, unable to protect their kids from unimaginable harm. 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.”
The controversy over Jones’s words comes amid growing anger online over the behavior of certain Israeli influencers, who have been criticized for mocking Palestinian victims of war on social media.
“As a father, I can’t begin to imagine the pain their parents are enduring” – for an apology for saying videos of dead Palestinians children are being pushed by Iranian propaganda. Go fuck your self !!!! https://t.co/AjYsrjtQHq
— Huncho 🇵🇸❤️🇸🇴 (@Schoolboy_Ra) October 5, 2025
Some have posted videos ridiculing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis — joking about the lack of food, water, or electricity — or imitating the cries of grieving families.
Ongoing Genocide
Since reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has continued its bloody aerial bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians.
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 66,000 Palestinians, with more than 168,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
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In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
If you are seeing too many pictures of “dead Gaza babies”, then maybe that’s because there are indeed too many “dead Gaza babies”, don’t you think?
I don’t know if this is ironic or just sad, but Van Jones apparently forgot that his race had endured centeries of racism and atrocities against them. Yet, he is now mocking Palestinian dead children suffering from the worst apartheid in modern days. Zionist money has such affect. I wonder if this fool would say the same if someone calls “the holocaust” a zionist propaganda.