Yorke condemns Netanyahu and Hamas for war in Gaza

Radiohead singer says both hiding behind people’s suffering

- JACOB STOLWORTHY

Radiohead musician Thom Yorke has called Benjamin Netanyahu an "extremist" who "needs to be stopped" after being criticised for his silence on the subject.

Yorke issued a lengthy eight-page statement on the war in Gaza, in which he also decried Hamas for “choosing to hide behind the suffering of its people”.

His comments arrive months after Yorke walked off stage when he was heckled by a pro-Palestine protester during a solo show in Melbourne. Footage filmed by a member of the audience in October 2024 showed a man in the crowd yelling at Yorke about the “Israeli genocide of Gaza” and the death toll, half of whom he said “were children”.

Yorke could be seen standing and listening before removing his guitar and leaving the stage. He returned shortly after the incident to play Radiohead’s 1997 song “Karma Police”.

The musician, who has also come under scrutiny in the past over his decision to continue performing in Israel, has now shared a statement on the incident. Addressing being heckled, he said the concert “didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.