Al Jazeera Analyst Condemned for Saying Palestinians Must "Fight With the Flesh of Their Children"
Saeed Ziad, a Gaza-born political commentator and regular panelist on Al Jazeera, faces backlash as peace activists accuse him of being a "whisperer and spokesperson" of Hamas
A wave of criticism has erupted around Saeed Ziad Abdel Moneim, a prominent political analyst regularly featured on Al-Jazeera Arabic, following a comment made during a televised panel discussion over the weekend. During a panel on the Qatari-owned network, Ziad stated that “The Palestinians have no choice but to fight with the flesh of their children”—a remark that has since elicited significant criticism.
Ziad’s comment, interpreted by many as a justification for exploiting children as weapons of war, has spotlighted his longstanding ties to Hamas and his role in promoting militant narratives on Qatari media platforms. Critics argue that the statement goes beyond political analysis and veers into dangerous advocacy for war crimes, particularly given Hamas’s documented history of using civilians, including children, as human shields.
Backlash from Within Palestinian Circles
Ziad’s remarks ignited intense criticism from some Palestinian commentators and peace activists.
An article in the Palestinian newspaper Al-Haya titled “Our children are not meat for the priests of Hamas’s temple!” rebuked Ziad’s words, stating that “These people are betting on the abundance of our blood in Gaza, the destruction, and the dismembered bodies of our children, women, and elders — spread across the screens of Al Jazeera and other arms of the Muslim Brotherhood’s media empire.” The article accused commentators like Ziad of perpetuating the suffering of Gaza’s population by promoting the notion that child sacrifice is inevitable or noble. The article called for “removing Hamas entirely from both the present and the future of [Palestinian] children, near and far.”
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian journalist, commentator, and peace activist, echoed this sentiment in a widely shared post on X, condemning the statement and calling Ziad “despicable.”
A Pattern of Extremist Rhetoric
Saeed Ziad Abdel Moneim, born in the Jabalia neighborhood of Gaza, is a researcher and commentator specializing in political and strategic affairs. He is a regular guest on Al-Jazeera, where he is widely recognized for articulating viewpoints aligned with Hamas.
Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians—an attack that left over 1,200 dead and hundreds taken hostage—Ziad published a celebratory article that same day titled “Al-Aqsa Flood and the End of Israel as a Concept” in the Qatari outlet Al Araby.
The piece praised the assault as one “carried out with extreme precision” and framed it as executed “with great skill and an adventurous spirit unprecedented in the region.” One day later, he published another article on Al Araby glorifying the taking of hostages as a legitimate and successful “new style of fighting,” and describing the events of Oct. 7th as Hamas managing to “raise the level of confrontation and fighting to a level completely different from all previous years of fighting.”
Ziad’s social media presence further reflects his ideological alignment with Hamas. His public profiles feature repeated praise for Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, as well as prominent Islamic Jihad figures. Posts glorify terrorism and present militant violence not only as justifiable, but as necessary for Palestinian liberation.
Al-Jazeera Silent Amid Growing Pressure
Despite the widespread outrage, neither Al-Jazeera nor Qatari officials have issued a public response to Ziad’s remarks. The silence has only fueled criticism of the network, which has frequently been accused of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for providing a platform to extremist and terrorist voices without sufficient oversight.
As international scrutiny grows, pressure is mounting on Al-Jazeera to take action and clarify its stance on incitement and hate speech. In the meantime, Ziad’s statement stands as a stark reminder of how media figures can amplify and legitimize extremist ideologies, often at the expense of the very people they claim to defend.
All of Al Jazeera is a jihadi megaphone.