Tucker Carlson Promotes Conspiracy Theories About October 7 Hamas Attack

American conservative host Tucker Carlson has promoted conspiracy theories regarding the October 7 Hamas attack, suggesting it was a "false flag operation" and that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu allowed it to happen to remain in power. In a special 95-minute episode featuring commentator Dave Smith, Carlson discussed the attack on its anniversary.

Carlson referenced Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA, who in an October 12, 2023 interview questioned why it took Israeli forces hours to respond to some massacre sites, asking if there was an order not to intervene. Kirk, however, explicitly stated he was not claiming Netanyahu allowed the attack to keep his job. Carlson presented Kirk's remarks as an accusation against Netanyahu, despite Kirk's own caveats and his acknowledgment of the atrocities of October 7 and Israel's right to act against perpetrators.

The program also questioned the status of American victims of the attack, with Carlson claiming he found no US citizens killed on October 7 who did not also hold Israeli citizenship. He argued that the deaths of dual citizens should not be equated with the deaths of Americans. Carlson further claimed that Aidan Alexander, a Hamas hostage, was "not even technically American," despite growing up in the US and holding citizenship, and accused former President Donald Trump of lying about Alexander's nationality.

Carlson also linked the October 7 attack to subsequent global conflicts, opposed US aid to Israel, and called Netanyahu a "liar." He asserted, without evidence, that the death toll in Gaza was between 190,000 and 200,000, claiming this was "obvious" from satellite imagery. Additionally, Carlson criticized the use of antisemitism accusations to stifle criticism of Israel.

This is not Carlson's first controversial statement regarding Israel. He previously hosted far-right figure Nick Fuentes, known for antisemitic remarks. Carlson also claimed he and his team were detained and interrogated at Ben Gurion Airport, a description disputed by Israeli airport authorities. In another instance, he made an unconfirmed claim about President Yitzhak Herzog visiting an island linked to Jeffrey Epstein, for which he later apologized. Separately, Carlson recently questioned the necessity of World War II against Nazi Germany, suggesting Hitler's invasion of Poland was a legitimate territorial dispute.