Mehdi Hasan on Military and Defense

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Public disputes concerning armed forces, defense departments, military policy, personnel standards, alliances, procurement, and civil-military institutions.

How we classify topics

Statement history

4 statements on this page. Dates: August 17, 2026 to October 6, 2026

4 matching statements. Dates: August 17, 2026 to October 6, 2026

4 published statements. Dates: August 17, 2026 to October 6, 2026

Condemned

3 published statements. Dates: August 17, 2026 to October 6, 2026

3 statements on this page. Dates: August 17, 2026 to October 6, 2026

Mehdi Hasan

Role at the time: Founder and editor-in-chief of Zeteo

October 6, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

In a Zeteo article and video published on October 6, 2026, the eve of the attack's third anniversary, Hasan wrote that he agrees with Israeli families who want an independent investigation into October 7. He wrote that Hamas "clearly killed hundreds of Israelis" and should answer for its crimes, and that the Israeli military "should also have to answer for its actions on that chaotic and bloody day" and the Hannibal Directive "needs to be exposed, once and for all."

“A lot of the Israeli families of those killed and abducted want an independent investigation into what happened on Oct. 7, and I agree with them. Hamas clearly killed hundreds of Israelis and committed crimes and abuses, which they should answer for. The Israeli military, however, should also have to answer for its actions on that chaotic and bloody day – and the Hannibal Directive needs to be exposed, once and for all.”

Mehdi Hasan

Role at the time: Broadcaster and founder of Zeteo, co-writing a signed analysis piece with Andrew Perez

September 17, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

In a signed analysis piece for Zeteo co-written with Andrew Perez, Mehdi Hasan defended Piker's comparison as accurate on the specific measure Piker used, the number of deaths. The authors cited Brown University's Costs of War estimate of 432,000 civilians killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan between 2001 and 2023, along with Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia, and argued that al-Qaeda's death toll bears no comparison. They said Axios's headline was calibrated to maximise outrage while crediting the outlet for interviewing Piker, and drew a parallel to Trump's 2017 remark to Bill O'Reilly that "we've got a lot of killers" and "do you think our country's so innocent?" They also characterised the wider response as a cancellation campaign. The casualty estimates are as the authors cite them and their characterisations of other actors are their own.

“Piker's comment, while obviously controversial, is objectively true. … Terror attacks by al-Qaeda have killed thousands of innocent people over the past three decades, but in terms of "the number of deaths" there is no real comparison to be made. … Yes, Trump lies all the time, but his point there was correct. So was Piker's.”

Open sourceZeteo: "Hasan Piker Says America Has Killed Lots of People. Donald Trump Agrees"

Signed analysis piece co-bylined by Andrew Perez and Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo, published September 17, 2026. It defends Piker's comparison as accurate on death tolls, citing Brown University's Costs of War estimate of 432,000 civilians killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan between 2001 and 2023, alongside Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia figures, and argues Axios's headline was calibrated for outrage. It draws a parallel to Trump's 2017 remark to Bill O'Reilly, "There are a lot of killers. We've got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country's so innocent?" It also reports reactions from CNN commentator Scott Jennings and activist Shannon Watts, characterised in the authors' own terms. Note a factual variance on the Minab strike: the piece says the airstrikes killed 150 people including more than 100 children, whereas Piker says 140 schoolgirls; neither figure is established here, and the UN fact-finding mission's report is recorded separately in this case.

Archived copy

Why we used this label

Hasan and Perez endorse it directly, calling it "objectively true" on the death-toll measure Piker specified and concluding "So was Piker's." That places them with Piker (955, 967) and opposite El-Sayed (956), Lara Trump (966) and Rogers (968). The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, since much of the piece attacks Axios's headline and the wider coverage; it loses because the authors go on to affirm the underlying claim on the merits rather than only disputing how it was framed.

Read statement Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel