Satirical site The Onion stirred outrage by joking the deadly Hamas attack “could not have come at a better time” for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The article, published Tuesday, included faux-quotes from the Israeli leader, whose attempts to push through judiciary reforms had divided the country.
“Personally, while I can’t speak for everyone, this senseless, violent, and disgusting attack that killed over 1,000 Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, is exactly what the doctor ordered,” the story said.
“Now, I’m not saying it was good or anything, but let’s just say that old Bibi needed a break after all those bribery and corruption charges, plus all that stuff about me dissolving the judicial system and attempting to consolidate power. But at this point, who even remembers all those moves I made to weaken checks and balances? I’m a wartime prime minister, baby. Let’s focus on death!”
Social media users derided the article as a callous attempt at humor by the site, which is part of GO Media.
“Someone at the Onion is getting fired,” one reader said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Remember when it used to be funny and not just leftist drivel?” another said.
“Humor has been replaced by desperation,” echoed another reader.
Others merely tweeted terse responses in disgust to the story, like “dark,” “this is gross,” and “pretty sick.”
The Post has reached out to The Onion and GO Media for comment.
This isn’t the first time The Onion has caused a stink with a piece of satire that fell flat.
In 2013, the publication fired off an off-putting tweet targeting 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis.
“Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a c–t, right?” the tweet read.
The publication later issued an apology.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
