Overview

• French posted a 40-second video on June 5 in which she used a mocking, high-pitched voice to satirize justifications for the October 7 Hamas attack
• Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman and writer Lee Kern led criticism, accusing her of belittling the massacre that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages
• On June 7 she removed the clip and issued an unreserved apology, saying she never meant to dismiss the horror of the October 7 attacks
• Reactions to her apology have been mixed, with some social media users accepting her explanation and others continuing to condemn her tone as insensitive
• The October 7 assault triggered Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which Gaza’s health ministry says has resulted in over 54,000 deaths and dozens of hostages still held