Leftist commentator Hasan Piker has raised more than $1 million for Palestinian medical relief in a few days through a Twitch campaign.
“I’m incredibly proud of you guys,” Piker told his fans as donations poured in. “It’s incredible, it’s unimaginable, it’s ridiculous. This is where this community thrives.”
Leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and his fans have raised more than $1 million for Palestinian aid in less than a week. (Screenshot courtesy HasanAbi/YouTube)
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More than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed since Hamas launched a surprise attack on October 7. Retaliatory strikes from Israel have killed more than 4,000 Palestinians and wounded thousands more, according to the ministry of health of Gaza.
Piker launched the fundraiser about a week ago. Fans raised $180,000 in the first 40 minutes and surpassed $1 million by Wednesday afternoon. Piker kicked in at least $50,000, according to the Tilify the page.
The funds will be divided between ANERA, Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, Palestine Red Crescent Society and Medical Aid for Palestinians, according to Piker.
Smoke billows and a ball of fire is seen over buildings in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on Oct. 9, 2023. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed and wounded in Israel’s war against Hamas. (Photo by Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Piker did not respond to an interview request from Fox News about the fundraiser.
A self-described socialist, Piker was one of the most viewed streamer on Twitch. The live-streaming service is mostly used by gamers, but Piker has gained millions of followers for his political commentary. He previously contributed to the left-leaning news and commentary outlet The Young Turks, founded by his uncle.
He has been a vocal critic of “colonial apartheid” and accuses Israel of imposing on the Palestinians. In a recent stream, he unleashed a profane tirade justifying the Hamas invasion.
“If they put you in an open-air prison for the rest of your life, you’ll come out eventually when you realize there’s no other way out,” Piker said. “Do you think it happened out of time? Do you think it happened out of nowhere? Are you—stupid? Do you think the state of Israel is, like, peacefully existing and then these people come in with gliders out of nowhere?”
Tents are set up for Palestinians seeking refuge along the Gaza Strip on Oct. 20, 2023. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)
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Thursday, Piker took on President Biden, who announced $100 million in new US funding for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank. Speaking in Israel, Biden said the money would help “1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians.”
In response, Piker posted on X, “damn, we raised a million for palestine, step your game up brandon.”
Humanitarian funds for Palestinians have been a hot-button issue for years, with critics arguing that aid will fall into the hands of Hamas.
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State Department officials have previously warned that sending US aid to the Gaza Strip could risk benefiting terrorist groups, while also arguing that such a trade-off is necessary for national security.
“We assess that there is a high risk that Hamas may derive an indirect, unintended benefit from US aid to Gaza,” the State Department wrote in an exception request to the March 2021 sanctions draft obtained of Washington Free Beacon. It is not clear whether the warning was made in the last request.
In one of his hour-long livestreams, Piker acknowledged the “huge difficulty of getting money into Gaza for obvious reasons” and said the four charities he chose were “strictly vetted.”
