tonight, on the mehdi hasan

show. alarming new details on trump's authoritarian plans from the man himself. the biden campaign prepares his recent promise to adolf hitler's. my combination with masha gessen, the descended of a holocaust survivor who had the -- after they get jammed the atrocities in gaza. and stripped of power, the chairman of the florida republican party has been suspended after being accused of raping a woman. he is being forced to resign. ♪ ♪ ♪ good evening. i am mehdi hasan. mussolini was the original fascist, ruling it away from 1922 to 1923. more than 20 years. during that time, he didn't exactly hide his authoritarian agenda. as head of a coalition

government back in the 1920s, he even said, quote, i was taken upon myself -- about 15 to 20 years longer. the success has not yet been born. many thought that the italian leader was joking. the joke was on, them after exactly exactly what he did. the joke was also on the britons in americans who for years had lampooned mussolini and comic books and cartons as a clown and a phone. that was their approach to the italian fascist dictator in the making. he is joking, or he is a joke. how did that work out for italy and europe during world war ii? i couldn't help but think of what you'll do che when i heard this from donald trump earlier this month. >> under no circumstances you are promising america tonight that you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?

>> except for day one. except for day one. >> meaning? >> i want to close the border, and i want to drill, drill, drill. >> i could not help but think of mussolini again when he heard the ex presidents party had to say about that outburst from trump. >> it is entertainment. we have been around that long enough. it is entertaining. >> i think it was a joke. >> i think that's probably just fairly typical trump rhetoric. >> we all know trump uses unique expressions when he explains things. >> sometimes the little baby will sped off all sorts of words that can be taken literally or seriously. that's a bit of what we are seeing from president trump and his campaign right now. >> yes, it is entertainment. it was a joke. just a unique expression. childish words from the 77 -year-old man. even trump critic mitt romney, saying not to take it seriously. maybe this would be hilarious and entertaining, maybe even

unserious, except the trump keeps saying it. just within the last, week the ex president has doubled down on his day one dictator promise. both during a private fund raising event at mar-a-lago, and in public remarks at the new york republican clubs gala. >> i said i want to be a dictator for one day. >> do you know why i wanted to be a dictator? i want a wall, right? i want a wall, and i want to drill, drill, drill. >> here's the thing. the entire point of being a dictator is that you don't ever just do it for a day. that's like asking the genie for just one wish, not three. and then using that one wish to get infinite wishes. this authoritarian rhetoric from trump should not exactly surprise us. he spent years keeping praise on foreign dictators from russia's vladimir putin to china's xi jinping. to north korea's kim jong-un. in fact, here is trump openly admiring the north korean supreme leader back in 2018 expressing envy over kim's cultish control over his

country's repressed population. >> hey, he is the head of a country, and i mean he is the strong head. don't let anybody think anything different. he speaks and his people sit up and attention. i want my people to do the same. >> it doesn't help the trump is surrounded by people like close advisers and former aides to stephen miller, kash patel, who went back and would just love to work for a dictator. this isn't some abstract fear. no, much like mussolini, trump was actually laying out exactly what he plans to do. here is in new hampshire yesterday pulling back the curtain on his second term authoritarian agenda. >> we will restore law and order to our communities, and i will direct a completely overhauled doj to investigate any radical out of control, fake crooked prosecutors in america. they're illegal, racist, and reversed enforcement of the law. i am also going to condemn all police offices. this is a big thing, and it's a

brand-new thing, i think it is so important. i will identify through the federal government all police officers and law enforcement officials throughout the united states from being destroyed by the radical left for taking strong actions against crime. [applause] >> yes, for once i agree with donald trump. this is a big thing. we should be paying attention. that is not all. during that same speech, the ex president once again echoed the racist rhetoric of history's most infamous fascistic tater, mussolini's powell, adolf hitler. >> they are poisoning the blood, that's what they've done. they poisoned mental institutions, prisons all over the world. not just in sou not just the three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. they are coming into our country.

the late maya angelou said, quote, when people show you who they are, believe them. right now, donald trump is again and again, day after day, showing us exactly who he is, and exactly what a second trump term would bring about, which is fascism. it's dictatorship. it's the end of it american democracy. it is, this time, we believe him? here to discuss, ruth ben-ghiat or, a professor of history and author of strongmen, mussolini to the president. also with, us eddie -- that donald distinguished university, at princeton new -- and msnbc contributor. thank you both for coming back on the show. ruth, you literally look -- you wrote the book on mussolini. do you, like me, see this as a pretty obvious comparison with people just dismissing the threat from trump like they did with mussolini? >> absolutely. by the way, mussolini declared dictatorship in 1925 to escape prosecution. he was under investigation for

having ordered the murder of his chief political rival, a socialist. it looked like he was going to go down. it took the leap, he declared dictatorship. there were many similarities. those republicans that you interviewed, they have seemed a little bit nervous. they reminded me, because you have to choose your words carefully, there is now a party line with the republican party, just like the authoritarian state. they reminded me of the first of our enablers of these dictators, who then get passed aside. some of them end up in prison. they do not have the kinds of faiths that they dreamed they would have often. i think of that, that is a pattern in history as well. >> yes indeed. eddie, how serious is the democratic party taking all of this? president biden issued a statement condemning his comments from yesterday. it is one thing to just say some stuff. it is very different to produce action. with less than a year to the

election, i don't see the existence, the building of an actual pro democracy anti-fascist coalition. i just don't see it. >> i think that there is a kind of tension here, mehdi, that they are not trying to give oxygen to this. you want to kind of appear as the kind of protectors of normalcy, as it were. you kind of moved in a way that suggests that there may, in some ways, be a party that can govern. that will escape this kind of wild rhetoric. there is that. then there is the other side of it, and that is that they are really afraid of the actual

people. there is trump. we are emphasizing trump, but in every click, there was the crowd screaming. there is a sense where the democratic party's playbook has always been not necessarily appealing to the extreme, but to appeal to that middle that goes independents for somehow in between. it doesn't seem like they want to go too far left, they don't want to alienate them. there is that attempt to kind of -- shall we say, do politics as usual in a moment where that doesn't em to work at all, if that makes sense. >> yes, i mean, exactly. it is t at all a moment in which it makes sense, or that it works. politics is normal, there is nothing normal about the moment

we are in. there is nothing normal about what is being said. ruth, i want to ask you about another emerging authoritarian, the newly elected argentinian president. his government has already announced a sweeping crackdown of protests, including plans to block demonstrators from holding road blocking protests in the capital, imposing fines. potential legal penalties on protesters, going for argentina's police force. ruth, are the other mini trump's, india's modi. are they showing us what could be america's future in january of 2025? >> absolutely. it is very sad. milei is one of those people, i call it a recent essay a fake populist. it poses -- now, argentina had huge inflation. he had his prop, his chainsaw. he was going to slash public spending. he posed as kind of the friend of the people, the embodiment of the nation. of course, as we have seen from

his already repressive action against protests, that chainsaw was actually standing for the power of the state to cut them down. time and again, these populists. they get to power using rhetoric, and that is what trump is doing. trump tells people that he cares about them when he does not care at all. he wants to use them. they just don't realize it. the same thing is happening in argentina. >> eddie, to go back to what we were talking about in terms of the abnormality of this moment, you're a black man in america. i am a brown man in america. did you ever think that we would have a leading presidential candidate, one that right now is on the course to win, according to polls, echoing naked laden azzi rhetoric about poisoning of the blood of this country? some of the people are just fine with it. we shrugged and move on? >> i never thought that i would experience it in my lifetime, mehdi. the interesting thing about it is that donald trump isn't exceptional in a certain sense. he is actually reflecting a deep liberal tradition in the united states that -- it's a tradition out of what i, come it's very much familiar with. i think that we need to understand that very clearly. i also think that we have to understand why this is attractive. i will defer to professor on the strong manned in the

autocrats, the fascists. i do want to say that this is a reflection of the collapse of an economic system. the neoliberal logic of regular-ism. patriotism, whatever we want to describe, it it's outdated. trying to barely keep their noises -- above water. now they are reaching for languages and order as an economic system collapses and revealed itself to be bankrupt. i am not talking about our 401(k) s doing okay. i am talking about people struggling to put food on the table, keep your kids in college, and the like. you do have this kind of sense of history that is leading people to reach for strongman to get them a sense of order. when they do, that they look to the other. they look to the other, mehdi, as the reason for why they are getting their. i never thought that i would see a trump in my lifetime, but you know what? this is darn familiar to me. if that makes sense. >> it is very familiar. as the phrase goes, it cannot happen here, but it's happening

here. ruth ben-ghiat, thank you both for your analysis. coming up, my conversation with masha gessen about their essay comparing gaza to and not sierra ghetto. the backlash ensuing. best. the only eggs with more fresh and delicious taste. plus, superior nutrition. which is now more important than ever. only eggland's best. when i was diagnosed with h-i-v, i didn't know who i would be. but here i am... being me. keep being you... and ask your healthcare provider about the number one prescribed h-i-v treatment, biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in many people whether you're 18 or 80. with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to undetectable—and stay there whether you're just starting or replacing your current treatment. research shows that taking h-i-v treatment

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russian american masha gessen won a prominent award in germany yesterday. it followed a series of events that nearly derailed the entire hearing. many response or's pulled out, views and attendance declined. why? because gessen, a jewish descendant of holocaust survivors was accused of antisemitism due to a recent piece that they published an israel, the holocaust, and gaza. i spoke with masha gessen, the

staff writer for the new yorker earlier today. >> masha gessen, thank you for joining me on the show today. congratulations on winning the hannah rent prize. i do believe, and i have seen the reporting that the prize ceremony was scaled down and delayed. i have to begin by asking, and i'm sorry, i feel like a fox host asking this question, but was there an attempt to cancel you? you, a jewish descendant of holocaust survivor in germany this week because of your views on israel and gaza? is that what happened? >> that is what happened. i don't like the word cancel, but let's say i was not canceled, but the prize ceremony was canceled at the discussion of the university. they were supposed to follow the prize ceremony, that was canceled. then the organizers of the prize, who were wonderful hospitable people, that really stood by me. they organized an alternative

scaled down prize ceremony at the institute in -- grand men. that was canceled. in the end, instead of a large banquet dinner, we had it dinner at a private house for 14 people, scaled down from about 400. literally a back alley prize ceremony was sort of in semi permanent community spaces, headed by a stove. it was terrific. it was very much in this period of what my article was about. >> let's talk about your article that prompted the german criticisms and controversy and you are -- in the shadow of the holocaust. it is phenomenal, i urge everybody to talk about it. you talk about gaza in the 17 years up to, now the siege in the blockade being quote, a ghetto. not like the jewish ghetto in venice, or in america, but like a jewish ghetto in eastern european countries occupied by

not see germany. you also say the gaza get a right now is being liquidated. can you briefly unpack that pretty strong analogy for our viewers tonight? >> absolutely. it is very much the point of the essay to me, that it is this passage the you just read out. it is also the passage that caused all of the controversy in germany. for a long time, people in the human rights committee, even the media, have used the analogy of an open air prison to describe gaza. if you think about it for one minute, i have no idea what an open air prison is. i don't think it is a thing that exists. the thing about the metaphor is that they have to call up other analogies. they have to call up something that we can imagine. and so when i thought about what gaza really is. gazan under siege, gaza before,

some of this. it is most like a ghetto. there are significant differences, and i'm not saying there are not. the closest analogy that we have to gaza, which is an isolated, commiserated, high density population, a space that is controlled by people the built offense. it is not governed by that group. it is not actually governed by a force that is in many key ways, enabling the people it built the fence. the reason that i think it is important to use the word ghetto is that they give us language for what is happening now. it is that the ghetto has been liquidated. the reason that i think that is important is because after the holocaust, humanity said never again. in order to make never again

not and slogan, not a magic spell, but an actual political project, we have to have tools for recognizing when something like that is happening. and then it actually cannot happen again. i think that's something like that is happening in gaza. at least, i am making the argument that that is a reason to think that something like that is happening in gaza. that poses the question to the world, what are we doing to do -- how are we going to make good on the promise of that, never again? >> and so, masha, it is not just in germany that people are getting wiped out. it is this frenzy, the hysterical debate in the u.s. right now, especially in addition to college campuses, as with anti-zionism, antisemitism, the house passed a resolution declaring that it is. and then the ihra antisemitism definition, which basically says the comparison to not see germany in any way is

antisemitic. given that you are a jewish the descended of holocaust survivors, what do you make of this abuse of antisemitism in the criticizing of israel? >> it scares me. i do know the antisemitism is real. when people lump into the same pile, things that are antisemitism, such as actual violent attacks, which have happened here in germany, which have happened in the united states, i read about the squirrel hill attacks not that long ago. there is actual antisemitism, including in college campuses. when things that are not antisemitism, things that are legitimate political critiques of israel, or even acknowledged in the critical part -- not essentially antisemitic critiques of zionism. they should not be lumped together with antisemitism. they should actually be putting us in -- that would put it in more danger instead of protect us. >> one quick question. when you see elected republicans pretending to care

about jewish americans while endorsing an antisemitic replacement theory, while supporting antisemitic presidential candidates, what do you make of that cynical use of antisemitism to score political points? >> i see it as being connected to the worldwide trend. we have seen them in germany, right wingers in poland that unfortunately -- they just moved out of power. right wingers in russia and the soviet union. i will call them right-wingers for simplicity's steak. and now in the united states. they are using this writing antisemitism like a political horse. no decent human being, or human being would -- or to be heavily criticized, can reject anything that is done in the name of fighting antisemitism. even what is done -- fighting the antisemitism. it is antisemitic. as i think, the use of antisemitism in college campuses. it is profoundly antisemitic. the trope that she is using in these hearings, her campaign to get rid of these university

residents, it is the jews control funding that goes to the universities and so she just has to draw the jews throughout there -- and you know what? it is happening. >> that is a very good point. masha gessen, sadly we are out of time. i thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. i enjoy your insights. thank you for your price, thank you so much. >> thank you very much, mehdi. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> later this hour, i will talk to shimon is zimmerman, the subject of a new documentary about jews reexamining the relationship with israel. it's already bound -- band on some college campuses. don't forget, you can listen to the mehdi hasan show anytime free wherever you get your podcasts.

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expulsion laws, mandatory detention and increase deportations. sounds like moves from the trump playbook. but nope, sadly those are recommendations coming from president biden. after the break, i'll talk to immigration advocate andrea flores, who once advised the biden administration on border policy, and isn't happy. but first, jessica layton is here with some more headlines. hello jess. >> thanks many. other stories we are watching for you all at this hour. the republican party of florida voted to functionally strip all power from current chairman christian ziegler, who is under criminal investigation for sexual assault. that includes rape.

the party was unable to vote to oust ziegler during her d. c. meeting, but plans on doing so next month. ziegler has not been formally charged, and has denied any wrongdoing. and heavy rain and strong winds are causing major coastal flooding in the carolinas tonight. the east coast storm has also left thousands in florida without power. the storm system will continue to sweep the northeast over the next 24 hours. and russia and ukraine launched a second straight day of drone attacks on each other. russian officials say at least 35 ukrainian drones were shot down across the southwestern russia. one of the targets was an airbase hosting bomber aircraft. ukrainian officials said they shot down 20 iranian made drones in southern, and western ukraine. at least one civilian was killed in the aftermath. more of the mehdi hasan show, right after this. right after this. right after this. e*trade from morgan stanley. with powerful, easy-to-use tools, power e*trade makes complex trading easier. react to fast-moving markets with dynamic charting and a futures ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you won't miss an opportunity. e*trade from morgan stanley

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draconian, anti-immigration policies, that will immediately be on the table, should donald trump take over the white house again in november, 2024. or on the cusp of a massive expansion of migrant detention facilities, a fast-tracking of expulsion authorities, and a monstrous lee restrictive set of asylum qualifications standards. but wait, it's not just donald trump who is currently contemplating those measures. it's also joe biden. he is, at this moment, weighing a hard-line crackdown on immigration. joe biden, the man who won his first day in office sent a bill to congress seeking to, quote, restore humanity in american values to our immigration system. well, what's changed? perhaps republican intransigence on foreign aid to

ukraine and israel, matters that essentially left biden open to compromise on issues that were once seemingly nonnegotiable. now, nbc news can report that senate republican leader mitch mcconnell sent a note to his gop members, informing them that talks are making progress, but they're not close to a deal on immigration just yet. and likely won't be for at least another week. and nbc news's julie tsirkin reported earlier today that the white house has told congressional hispanic caucus members that it is still very far from a deal, with no framework in place. nonetheless, a lot of people, including the congressional hispanic caucus, are rightly outraged at the prospect of biden even remotely caving to the, far far right on immigration reform. and it's a curious move from the president, given his soft numbers, polling numbers among young voters, and people of color. is he just trying to lose these votes, as we get closer to the election? joining me now is andrea flores, vice president for immigration policy and campaigns at forward dot u.s., and a former director of border management. and president biden's national

security council. andrea, thank you so much for coming on the show. i want to play a brief clip from the second, and the final 2020 presidential debate between donald trump and joe biden. have a listen. >> this is the first president in the history of united states of america, that said anyone seeking asylum has to do it in another country. that's never happened before america. that's never happened before in america. you come to united states and you make your case, that i seek asylum based on the following premise. why i deserve it, under american law. they're sending sitting in squalor on the other side of the river. >> you come to the united states, you make your case for asylum, that may not be happening as we go forward with these immigration proposals from senate democrats and the white house. you worked for joe biden, do you feel betrayed? >> i'm very concerned about the contours of this deal. because democrats and republicans, they're both

coming to the table because they are concerned about conditions at the border. and they both are saying that they want the number of unauthorized crossings to go down. but when you look at this deal, you look at policies that we know actually drive a encounter numbers, and they create the images that we are seeing right now on the screen. right now, i want to remind people that president biden did start out his presidency promising to make it easier for people to come to this country legally, and more difficult for smugglers and other bad actors to take advantage of migrants, and helping to make these dangerous, unauthorized crossings. >> so, why do you think president biden is doing this? is it the politics ahead of an election? is it the border crossing numbers at record highs, they ask you something about? what is the thought process here? >> i'm concerned that this is a political trapping being set by republicans. because, the policies that you are seeing on the table are not policies that any border expert would say would fix these challenges that he is concerned about. it's not going to change what

we're seeing at the border, and it's certainly not going to change what we're seeing in cities. i do think this administration 's right to be concerned, and to show that other american voters they have solutions to these issues. and i think the administration has been slow, especially in response to what we've been seeing in cities. because what we need from them is a real federal, coordinated response to this challenge. but instead, they are looking at a trump era policies that didn't work under trump, that didn't lower crossings under trump. and it certainly won't work now, especially going into an election year. you can imagine how now, the border can be on the news every single day, even with trump's policies in place. >> but surely andrea, republicans will now go silent, because they got what they want. ha, you're right. last question to, you tweeted this week quote, a good reminder that if potus had been fully engaged in negotiations a year ago, millions of undocumented youth might've gained a path to citizenship. instead, his team is fighting to codify laws that would target mixed status families with -- expedited removal. briefly, what should have done a year ago, two years ago, on this issue that he didn't, or

couldn't? >> well, i've worked on this issue, i worked for president obama, i work in the senate on this issue and for president biden. and what we've known in immigration reform the last decade is democrats have always stood firm. and they said, if we're going to make a deal, we will not leave behind the undocumented, and we will fix the broken parts of the system that leads to the challenges we are seeing today. and i'm concerned president biden is abandoning that framework. a rug, oh i was in the senate, we were working on a similar negotiation, but we were also talking about legalizing dreamers. and so, president biden i think should be far more worried about what solutions he has right now for daca recipients who might lose daca in the coming years. for people who are eligible for temporary tested status, which he could issue right now, and protect more undocumented people in this country. those are the policies that i wanted to go work for him to try to help him implement, but also that so many voters were hoping that he would be different than president trump, not be fighting right now to turn his policies into law. >> andrea flores, thank you so much for your time, appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> coming up next, i'll speak to simone zimmerman, one of the

young jewish americans profiled in an upcoming film called israel-ism. it is stirring up even more debate about antisemitism and anti-zionism on college campuses. eggland's best. the only eggs with more fresh and delicious taste. plus, superior nutrition. because the way we care is anything but ordinary. ♪♪

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with jewish -- about the increasing complexity and even, yes, weaponization of antisemitism in this country, especially on the right. the new documentary, israel-ism, a film about american jews by american jews, reexamines their understanding of israel, and even their own framing of antisemitism. >> the way that we talk about antisemitism isn't about protecting jews, it's about protecting israel. how dangerous is that. >> they will do anything to preserve unconditional support

for israel. the great irony is that there actually is resurgent antisemitism. >> jews will not replace us. >> the history is not going to judge us kindly. >> colleges around the count have tried to ban the film for months, d those calls have only grown louder since hamas's attack on israel on october the and -- the university of pennsylvania, yale have all had heated debates around the airing of the film. a screening of the film with hundreds of ticket goers was even canceled by theater board in hamilton, the city in ontario. now, we have to ask, what is so dangerous about the film centering young american jews and their relationship with israel? joining me now is one of the protagonists in israel-ism, simone zimmerman. simone, thanks for coming on the show. the documentary was made before october the 7th. did you ever imagine that there would be this kind of backlash?

i mean, it appears as though in the name of fighting antisemitism, folks are trying to stop a movie about jewish people. >> yes, thank you so much for having me that he, it's good to be here. yeah, you know the foreign relations strategy of the israeli government relies on the idea that all jews agree with what they are doing. unfortunately for them, there has never, ever been agreement in jewish history, about anything, especially not such matters as life or death, and the safety of our own people. so yeah, and young people, young jews just like young people all-round the country, we are watching, live on our phones right now, the live stream of atrocities straight from the gaza strip, from people who look like us, who think like us, who just want to be safe and free and to pursue their dreams like we do. and, the film actually tells the story of young jews like me and thousands around the country, who have had that awakening, who have dared to

face the palestinian reality, and are outraged and heartbroken that any of this injustice could be happening in the name of our safety. >> so yomeioned atrocities, the scenes coming out of gaza remarific, as the deaths continue to mount there by the da the israeli military is accused now of running over dead bodies with a bulldozer outside of a hospital in gaza. they have denied those claims, that they bury people alive underneath theube. in addition to women, we are also two christian women shot and killed by a member of the israeli military inside -- the family perish in gaza, courting to -- in jerusalem. the israeli military said they are looking into these reports. but what kind of discussion, simone, or arguments even are happening within the jewish american community, when reports like this come out? is it all seen as justified in the name of fighting hamas and defending israel, amongst the majority of juice? >> yeah well, there is obviously a vicious debate, a passionate debate within our

community about all of these matters. i can say you know, the people in my community, we are seeing these images, and we are seeing the echoes of the trauma, the violence, that jewish people have experienced in the past, that we have been taught all of our lives to be outraged by, to stand against. and, the idea that any trauma that our people have experience could be justifying this? it's so outrageous and disgusting. and i have to say, if we're talking about just this period of the last two months, it's been a time of incredible grief and heartbreak, and fear, and if there is anything that i've learned in the last two months, it's that massacring anybody in the name of safety for another people, it doesn't work. >> simone, one last question. you've described what you experienced as indoctrination and mass mobilization to turn you into an advocate for israel, inside of the u.s..

before we run out of time, just briefly, what is it that you would like people to understand about that phenomenon, and take away from the documentary israel-ism? >> we are, i think i would just say that most american jews, let alone most americans, have never met a palestinian person in their life. and you know, when i met palestinians on campus, i learned that for them, the reality of their life under israeli rule was one of oppression and occupation, and displacement. and, that fundamentally shifted my politics. and, that's why young jews are so much closer in our politics to people like congresswoman rashida tlaib and jamal bowman, then we are to president biden and chuck schumer. because we refused to put a hierarchy on human life. we refused to ignore palestinians, to dehumanize them, and to keep them outside of the conversation. and once you do that, it fundamentally shifts everything. >> we'll put.

simone zimmerman, thank you for your time. the documentary is called israel's of, and it's very powerful. >> thank you so much. >> coming up, coming up next in the next hour actually, coming over the next hour with a man, how -- robert garcia, on james comer's complicated and critical relationship to the biden impeachment probe, that he is leading. but first, amen and i are with you talk about the human cost of the war in gaza, including the great risks to our fellow journalists there. don't go away. try dawn platinum. it removes 99% of grease and food residue. that's why dawn is trusted to save wildlife affected by oil. dawn platinum cleans to the squeak.

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now it's time to hand over to my good friend ayman mohyeldin. up ayman before i go tonight, we do have to talk about the tragic death of al jazeera journalist -- , who was killed friday, while reporting in gaza. he was laid to rest by his family yesterday, tragically. in a statement to nbc news, al jazeera set of his death, quote, following -- -- injury, he was left to bleed death for over five hours, as israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment. now, the israeli military are saying, quote, the idf takes all operationally feasible measures to protect both civilians and journalists. the idf has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists. given the ongoing exchange of fire, remaining in active combat zone has inherent risks. the idf will continue to counter threats will persisting to mitigate harm to civilians. the idf later said an ambulance had been dispatched to help -- , but encounter, quote, extensive road damage and couldn't reach the scene in time. now, the israeli military has

been caught lying several times, so take that however you want to take it. but, i'll talk to you about sam raheem self. because you knew him personally, and i'm so sorry for your loss. just tell our viewers what he was like? >> yeah i mean in short, he was a journalist journalist, he was somebody who i got to know very well when i was based in gaza for almost two years. he comes from a family of journalists, his brother is also a camera man, others work as journalists as well. he was a very determined, very passionate, very committed journalist, a shooter and an editor. he was the kind of guy that would always go out, be out of the door as fast as possible, but also come back and proudly talk about the images that he had captured, and tell you as a correspondent, which pictures you should write your story to, because he knew which ones were the perfect shots. so, look, it was remarkable as well that he loved gaza, he was committed to covering gaza.

in fact, he had the chance a couple of years could take his family out of gaza. he managed to relocate them to belgium. but, he was so, i guess, he missed covering gaza, he missed being with his colleagues and the journalist and the community there, that he decided to come back. and he was hoping to bring his family back, this was well before the war broke out. and they are still in belgium, they didn't have a chance to see him. obviously with this tragedy. but, i think it's a testament to the kind of journalists that are in gaza right now, those that are operating there. not just -- but -- who was injured as a result of that shelling that took place. the community of journalists in gaza, it's not a profession, it's not a job, it truly is a calling, and they know it right, now in an environment like this, where they are the only eyes and ears to the outside world, that the responsibility of what they are doing goes far and beyond anything any journalist can even begin to comprehend.

but he was a truly remarkable guy, and an amazing friend. >> and a big loss to journalism, and to al jazeera, and to the people of gaza. and as you mentioned, he was there with his colleague -- , who was injured alongside him, but was back reporting yesterday. he also of course, viewers will remember a few weeks, bill lost his wife, kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, israeli strike, and carried on reporting. this is -- al jazeera journalist, who should be a hero right now to all journalists. i mean, it's astonishing that this man was still reporting, despite losing his family, despite losing his camera man, despite being injured himself. and he is still on air. and i just think to myself, whatever happened to the hashtag journalism is not a crime. where is the rest of the world 's media? where is the western media, in particular, when journalists are being killed. i think something like 57 palestinian journalist, for israeli journalist, i think three lebanese. it's crazy how many journalists have died in this war. historic numbers. and we should be recognizing and celebrating those who are

risking their lives to give us the truth of what's happening on the ground. >> yeah, and like you said, the community-y of journalists around the world are very tight-knit, and we understand importance of the -- area of you will and when a journalist is injured or killed, or wrongfully imprisoned. whether it's in russia or iran, you hear the international community of journalist speak out against it. you see the campaigns that captures the attention of world leaders, and certainly the western leaders, in the strongest condemnation possible. and yet, as we are seeing in this situation, an alarming rate, the killing of journalists is really not getting the kind of attention it deserves, by many leaders. certainly western countries, that claim to hold up the mantle of free speech and the importance of a free press, and the importance of journalists. but, medina, it's always great to see you. i know look, you and i have had many many hand over us over the last several years. but, i believe this one, two to our schedule, is probably going to be the last hand over.