We're Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends Meet the Palestinian-American Influencer Exposing 'Genocidal' Israelis Online
Since Oct. 7, 22 year-old Palestinian-American influencer Hamzah Saadah has gained international notoriety for doing something that no mainstream news outlet would dare to do: asking regular Israelis what they think about Palestine. The results have been shocking, as Hamzah's interviews with civilians and soldiers alike demonstrate a comfort and willingness to use "genocidal rhetoric" across Israeli society. Hamzah now joins Mehdi for a live taping of 'We're Not Kidding' at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to discuss his work on social media and take some questions from the audience.
Before Oct. 7, Hamzah was a gaming influencer, musician, and magician (yes, you read that right) with nearly 8 million followers across social media. But once Israel's genocide began in Gaza, Hamzah made the decision to use his massive following to expose the anti-Palestinian rhetoric of some Israeli soldiers.
The two also discuss:
- Receiving threats for their political work.
- Larry Ellison and censorship on TikTok.
- The time the police showed up at Hamzah's house at 3:00am.
- How to change the minds of audiences.
- How old Mehdi is, again, and again, and again.
2026 Sundance Film Festival. Recorded at The Muslim House® Produced by the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau with the support of the Doris Duke Foundation.
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Credits:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Hamzah Saadah
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali
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