Hamas-linked outlet praises Hannah Einbinder’s Emmys speech but censors her dress

Hollywood actress Hannah Einbinder, star of Hacks, made headlines at the Emmy Awards after using her acceptance speech to call for Palestinian freedom. While accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Einbinder declared, “Free Palestine” and criticized U.S. immigration enforcement, saying, “F**k ICE.”

Her remarks drew both praise and backlash, but an unusual detail stood out in the coverage by Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network. While celebrating her comments, the outlet censored images of Einbinder, blurring her exposed shoulders and cleavage. Even the pin she wore in solidarity with Palestinians was obscured. The post, which appeared on X but was later deleted, quoted Einbinder saying that as a Jewish person, she felt a responsibility to separate Judaism from the “ethnonationalist project of the Israeli state.”

Quds News, which claims to be independent but has long faced allegations of ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has previously been accused of pushing restrictive cultural codes for women. Since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has imposed modesty rules, encouraging women to wear headscarves and long gowns in public.

Einbinder later explained her speech, saying the war in Gaza had become personal as she has friends working with displaced refugees. “Our religion and our culture is an important, long-standing institution that is separate from the state of Israel,” she told The Wrap.

However, her comments received sharp criticism. Israeli writer Hen Mazzig argued in The Hollywood Reporter that such statements normalize hostility against Jews. “True bravery would have been using that Emmy stage to call for the release of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Christian peace advocate Ihab Hassan dismissed Quds News as “a complete joke,” accusing the outlet of hypocrisy for praising Einbinder while censoring her appearance.

The controversy has underscored deep divides over celebrity activism, media portrayal, and the politicization of global platforms like the Emmys.