“It was a ’mass Hannibal’ event.“ - Mehdi and Bassem Debunk Oct. 7 Lies

On this week’s bonus episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding,’ Bassem Youssef joins Mehdi for an honest and critical conversation about Oct. 7, and the avalanche of Israeli propaganda and lies that followed Hamas’ deadly attack. Bassem and Mehdi discuss and debunk a number of lies and distortions about the events on the day, from Israel’s controversial “Hannibal directive,” which led to the Israeli military killing a number of its own citizens, to the the now infamous “40 beheaded babies” and “babies in ovens” falsehoods that began to surface only days after the attack. Bassem and Mehdi are also joined by NYU journalism professor and war correspondent Azadeh Moaveni, whose recent reporting went into detail about how sexual violence and claims of mass rape have been weaponized by supporters of Israel over the past eight months, and how the New York Times in particular misreported this incendiary story. 00:00 - Cold open 00:44 - Intro 1:21 - What happened on Oct. 7? 5:48 - The ’Hannibal directive’ 21:11 - How the ’40 beheaded babies’ and ’babies in ovens’ lies started 30:18 - The weaponization of sexual violence 39:40 - Interview with Azadeh Moaveni ‘We’re Not Kidding’ releases new episodes twice a month, with Mehdi, Bassem and a cast of rotating guest co-hosts from the worlds of comedy, entertainment, and the media. Funny people talking about serious topics. Watch, listen and subscribe to the We’re Not Kidding on Substack: Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism and this podcast: Apple: Spotify: Find Zeteo: Twitter: @zeteo_news Instagram: @zeteonews TikTok: @zeteonews Find Mehdi: Substack: @mehdirhasan Twitter: @mehdirhasan Instagram: @mehdirhasan Tik Tok: @mehdirhasan Find Bassem: Twitter: @Byoussef Instagram: @bassem TikTok: @bassem Credits: Hosted by Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Bassem Youssef Executive Producers: Misha Euceph and Kiran Alvi Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone