CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour has apologized after claiming Hamas had “probably” treated Israeli hostages better than many Gazans.
The British-Iranian journalist made the comments on Monday in a segment alongside CNN host Kaitlan Collins. When asked by Collins about reporters being able to cover the situation inside Gaza, Amanpour said she had been asking for access every day.
“It is unconscionable that we have not been able to go in and help our Gaza colleagues tell the full story,” Amanpour said.
“I pretty much can assure you that once those doors are opened, it will be a scene of absolute, abject horror… It’s been a terrible, terrible two years for them, because not only are they there, you know, they’re probably being treated better than the average Gazan, because they are the pawns and the chips that Hamas had. Now, Hamas has given up all of its leverage, by the way, by giving them all up. So that is a victory for the Israeli side.”
Amanpour’s comments had MAGA in a rage. “You can feel how mad she is with the release of hostages by Trump,” Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell posting on X, adding, “she’s a sick woman.”
Omri Ceren, a senior adviser to Senator Ted Cruz, claimed Amanpour has “been on the side of genocidal Hamas terrorists” for decades.
Newsmax host Gerry Callahan, meanwhile, added, “Christiane Amanpour is one of the biggest pieces of sh– in the mainstream media.”
Following the backlash, the anchor apologized on her show, Amanpour, and posted a statement on her X account.
As part of her apology, Amanpour spoke about seeing the joy Israeli families were feeling as hostages were returned and how civilians in Gaza were experiencing a reprieve from two years of war after the ceasefire agreement.
“I noted that for the hostages who are finally home, it will take a long time for them to recover mentally and physically. But I regret also saying that they may have been treated better than many Gazans because Hamas used these hostages as pawns and bargaining chips,” the 67-year-old said. “It was insensitive and wrong. From speaking to many former hostages and their families, like everyone I’ve been horrified at what Hamas has subjected them to over two long years,” Amanpour continued.
Earlier live on air, I spoke about what a day of real joy this is, for Israeli families whose loved ones are finally being returned from two years of horrific Hamas captivity, and for civilians in Gaza, who have finally had a reprieve from two years of brutal, deadly war.I… pic.twitter.com/3OppU0kUhR
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) October 13, 2025
“They’ve told me their stories of barely being able to breathe in the tunnels, not being allowed to cry, being starved and made to dig their own graves–and of course today, some of the hostages are coming back in body bags.”
Award-winning journalist Amanpour was born in London to a British mother and Iranian father. She began work at CNN in 1983, where her first major assignment was covering the Iran-Iraq war. She was the network’s chief international correspondent and host of Amanpour until 2012 when she joined ABC to anchor This Week, before rejoining CNN two years later.
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