In a firestorm of controversy that has ignited social media and drawn international backlash, Nasser Mashni, president of the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), has been slammed for describing Hamas' October 7, 2023, hostages as "the only bargaining chips they had," while labeling one-year-old captive Kfir Bibas an "occupier" during a heated debate on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
The remarks, aired in a recent episode of the show, exploded online when Australian activist Drew Pavlou shared a clip on X on October 11, 2025, blasting Mashni as "absolutely subversive fifth column scum" and questioning why he's in Australia. Pavlou's post features the video where Mashni defends the hostage-taking amid the Israel-Hamas war, now in a fragile ceasefire phase with releases underway.
During the Piers Morgan panel, Mashni, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and critic of Israel's actions, argued that the abductions were a desperate measure by Hamas, stating they were "the only bargaining chips they had" in the conflict. When pressed on the morality of kidnapping civilians, including infants like Kfir Bibas (who, along with his family, was tragically killed in captivity), Mashni doubled down, referring to the baby as an "occupier" - a term that has fueled accusations of dehumanization and antisemitism from opponents.
