5 Towns CentralStill Around? De Blasio Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Criminal’ During Heated Fox News Interview
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio drew criticism after calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” during a contentious interview on Fox News, where he sharply condemned Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas.
WATCH: Bill de Blasio sides with Zohran Mamdani calling Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal for his actions in Gaza.
HEMMER: “So you came on our show today to call Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal?”
DE BLASIO: “I didn't come here to call him that. You asked me a… pic.twitter.com/hqPcgjLuUo
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 27, 2026
During the exchange, de Blasio accused Netanyahu’s government of policies that he claimed resulted in the deaths of “tens of thousands of Palestinian children.” When challenged by the hosts about Hamas’ long-documented practice of operating from civilian areas and using human shields, de Blasio responded that “two wrongs don’t make a right,” but did not offer an alternative strategy for how Israel should have responded to the October 7 Hamas massacre while confronting an enemy embedded within civilian infrastructure.
De Blasio also argued that Netanyahu’s leadership has harmed Israel itself, claiming the prime minister’s standing with the Israeli public is “even lower than Donald Trump’s.”
Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer pressed de Blasio on his remarks, asking, “So you came on our show today to call Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal?”
“I didn’t come here to call him that. You asked me a question,” de Blasio replied.
When Hemmer followed up by asking whether he truly believed that characterization, de Blasio answered, “I absolutely believe that.”
De Blasio served as New York City’s mayor from 2014 through 2021. Since leaving office, his political comeback efforts have been unsuccessful, including a short-lived 2020 presidential campaign that ended before the first votes were cast and an unsuccessful congressional bid in 2022. His latest comments are likely to further fuel debate over the war in Gaza and U.S. political divisions surrounding Israel.