Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef, born on March 21, 1974, in Cairo, Egypt, is an Egyptian comedian and television host.
He is best known for hosting El-Bernameg (The Show), a satirical Egyptian political news program, from 2011 to 2014.
Youssef has been compared to American comedian Jon Stewart, whose satire influenced his work.
Before his career in comedy, he practiced as a cardiothoracic surgeon in Egypt for 13 years, having graduated from Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine in 1998.
He passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination and has been a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) since February 2007.
Youssef’s current projects include Tickling Giants, The Democracy Handbook and Revolution For Dummies.
He has also been a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
Bassem Youssef religion
Youssef is a Muslim.
He is an Egyptian surgeon-turned-satirist who rose to fame during the 25 January 2011 revolution in Egypt, which toppled the Mubarak regime.
Does Bassem Youssef support Palestine?
Youssef has spoken about the conflict in Israel and Gaza in various interviews.
In a recent interview, he mentioned that his wife’s family lives in Gaza and their house was bombed, and they haven’t been able to communicate with them in the past three days.
Youssef also accused Piers of comparing Israel to the terror group ISIS during a combative interview.
However, he has not explicitly stated whether he supports Palestine or not.
Israel – Hamas war
The current Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel with hundreds of gunmen infiltrating communities.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that has controlled the densely populated Gaza Strip since 2006, has said the aim of the attack was ‘to free Palestinian’.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have existed since before Israel’s founding in 1948, and thousands of people on both sides have been killed and many more injured over decades.
Israel’s stated goal in the war is to dismantle Hamas’ military and topple its rule in Gaza.
Hamas has called on Gazans not to leave their homes, accusing Israel of engaging in “psychological warfare” by calling on Palestinians to evacuate to the south.
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank say they are suffering because of Israeli actions and restrictions.
Israel captured Gaza from Egypt in the 1967 war, then withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005.
The territory, home to some 2 million Palestinians, has changed hands several times over the past 70 years.
Gaza is ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has fought Israel many times.
The conflict threatens to escalate further, and the situation remains tense.
Cease-fires have stopped major fighting in past rounds of conflict but have always proven shaky.