Late-night host Bill Maher called out the deafening silence from college protesters who spent months demonstrating against Israel, asking where the activists disappeared to now that Hamas has turned its weapons against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
During an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the HBO host asked billionaire guest Mark Cuban about the conspicuous absence of campus demonstrators following reports that Hamas fighters have been executing Palestinians in Gaza City. The footage, which circulated widely online, allegedly shows militants killing at least thirty-three people in recent days after the temporary ceasefire with Israel.
"Where are the protesters? Suddenly, the keffiyeh-wearing college kids are very quiet."
The remarks highlighted a glaring inconsistency in the student activism that dominated American campuses throughout the past year. Thousands of protesters staged demonstrations at universities nationwide, often wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves while chanting anti-Israel slogans and demanding action on behalf of Palestinians. Hundreds were arrested during clashes with police, and several schools faced federal investigations into whether the protests crossed the line into supporting terrorist organizations.
Cuban agreed with Maher's assessment, noting that the once-vocal activists cannot be found anywhere now that Hamas has consolidated power by targeting fellow Palestinians. Maher called out what he described as the asymmetry of the situation, pointing out that student protesters appeared highly motivated to condemn Israeli actions but remained silent when the terrorist organization they implicitly defended committed atrocities against the very population they claimed to support.
President Trump addressed the Hamas killings on Truth Social, warning that if the terrorist group continues to kill people in Gaza in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the United States will have no choice but to intervene militarily to stop them.
The campus demonstrations that erupted in the wake of the Gaza conflict featured students establishing encampments, blocking access to university buildings, and disrupting classes to demand that their institutions divest from Israel. Some protesters were investigated for alleged connections to groups with ties to Hamas, and President Trump repeatedly called for foreign students expressing support for the terrorist organization to have their visas revoked immediately.
Maher, who previously labeled elite American universities as indoctrination factories, suggested that the selective outrage among student activists reveals their movement was never genuinely about protecting Palestinian civilians. Instead, the comedian argued, the demonstrations appear to have been driven by ideological opposition to Israel rather than authentic concern for human rights or the wellbeing of Palestinians caught in the crossfire.