Jordanian-Palestinian YouTuber and content creator Qassem Al-Hattou, known as “Ibn Hattuta,” criticized what he described as double standards in global media coverage after numerous international outlets contacted him following the Hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship “MV Hondius,” where he is currently under quarantine.

Al-Hattou said major international media organizations, including BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Good Morning America, and The Guardian, alongside Japanese and Australian outlets, reached out to him for interviews about the situation on the ship. However, he stated that he refused to speak with media organizations that remained silent about Palestine and Gaza over recent months.

“The whole world is following our story as if it’s a new pandemic, while the killing of more than 100,000 Palestinians has not received the same level of attention or journalistic professionalism,” he said.

He added that Israel continues to bomb Gaza and Lebanon while thousands of Palestinians remain imprisoned, arguing that Palestinian suffering has not received media coverage proportionate to the scale of the humanitarian crisis.

Al-Hattou concluded by saying he may speak to the media later, “but definitely not to any Zionist media outlet,” stressing that he is using his platform to highlight the Palestinian cause and the message: “Free Palestine.”