John Oliver Explains Why ‘Last Week Tonight’ Didn’t Go In-Depth on Israel-Hamas Violence in Somber Show Opening

While some might’ve expected John Oliver to make the conflict in Israel and Gaza the core of his show on Sunday night, breaking things down and going in-depth on what’s happening, that was not the case. In a somber cold open to “Last Week Tonight,” the HBO host explained exactly why.

Much like “SNL” did this week, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” opted to skip its typical opening segment full of jokes, and instead immediately address the horrendous events occurring in Israel and Gaza. Oliver noted that he explicitly wanted to do it at the top of the show, before the spectacle of it all really began.

“The immense suffering in Israel and Gaza has been sickening to watch, and we’re not gonna be covering it in the main body of our show tonight for a couple of reasons,” he explained. “First, it’s horrific. I don’t really want to tell jokes about carnage right now, and I’m pretty sure that you don’t want to hear them.”

He added that, given that “Last Week Tonight” tapes on a Saturday, and considering how fast news is developing in Israel and Gaza, a lot could change between him taping a full segment about it and that segment actually being seen.

That said, Oliver noted that he had some “broad thoughts” on the matter, mostly pertaining to “sorrow, fear and anger.”

“Now, sorrow is the first and most overwhelming feeling. The images that we’ve seen this week from last Saturday onward have been totally heartbreaking,” he said.

He added, “Whatever thoughts you have about the history of this region or the current state of affairs — and I’ve shared mine on this show in the past — it should be impossible to see grieving families and not be moved.”

Oliver continued onto fear, noting that the fear that people are feeling is entirely “understandable,” as Israel braces for further attacks and worry for those who have been taken hostage. But, the late night host also acknowledged fear for civilians in Gaza who would be caught in the crossfire, and have had their access to food, water and more cut off.

“I don’t know where things stand in Gaza as you watch this right now. But all signs seem to be pointed toward a humanitarian catastrophe,” he continued. “Israeli officials announced plans to cut off food, water, fuel and power. Hospitals are running on generators. This has all the appearances of collective punishment, which is a war crime.”

He continued, “And I think many Israelis and Palestinians are feeling justifiable anger right now. Not just at Hamas, whose utterly heinous terrorist acts set this week’s events in motion, but also at the zealots and extremists across the board who consistently thwarted attempts at peace over the years. Israelis and Palestinians have been let down by their leadership time and time again.”

Oliver admitted that he doesn’t “have a great deal of faith in the leaders currently in charge to steer us toward peace,” but conceded that he is still hopeful about the situation simply because of the ordinary citizens who are refusing to “engage in bloodthirsty rhetoric.”

He then pulled up a clip of an interview CNN’s Jake Tapper conducted with Noi Katzman, whose brother Chaim was killed in the Hamas terrorist attacks. Katzman ended the conversation with Tapper by saying he didn’t want his brother’s death to “be used to kill innocent people.”

Katzman argued that he didn’t want other families to endure what he is, and that his brother wouldn’t have wanted that either, because “that’s not the way that brings us peace and security to people in Israel.” Oliver strongly agreed, but pointed out that he’s not the man to offer a concrete solution.

“People want and are entitled to peace, and I’m not going to tell either side how to get it,” he said. “Certainly not in this accent, which has frankly done enough damage in that particular region to last a f—ing lifetime.”

He continued, “But just know in the long term, all the people who want to live in that region are going to keep living there. So peace is not optional and will require some tough decisions. And I can’t say where a peace process ends, but it just has to start with that kind of ability to recognize our common humanity. That’s honestly all I’ve got for you right now.”

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” is now streaming on Max.

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