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Andrea Mitchell under fire: MSNBC ratings plummet amid Israel-Hamas war coverage

Andrea Mitchell's tone-deaf question to an Israeli mother whose children were kidnapped by Hamas millitants has sparked outrage online

WASHINGTON, DC: MSNBC reportedly lost 33 percent of its primetime viewers during the Israel-Hamas war coverage as host Andrea Mitchell came under fire for asking the Israeli mother of kidnapped children how she feels about the country's counterstrikes in Gaza.

The news broadcaster suffered a 24 percent overall viewership decline between October 7 and October 10 when a fresh, all-out war broke out between Israel and Hamas militants.

"These numbers tell you a lot about MSNBC, which excels at Trump-era liberal therapy but can’t match others during global historic events," said Puck media reporter Dylan Byers, as per Daily Mail.

In contrast, Fox News' audience increased by 42% as a result of the horrific events, and CNN's coverage reported a 17% increase in viewers.

MSNBC has come under fire for its coverage of the atrocities in Israel, with an Israeli mother accusing Mitchell of trying to make a false equivalency of Israel’s counterstrikes in Gaza and Hamas’ attack.

The 76-year-old Mitchell is a veteran journalist and currently the chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News and is also the host of “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on MSNBC.

Mitchell has covered seven presidential administrations since joining NBC News in 1978, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

She is a recipient of the Los Angeles Press Club’s Joseph M. Quinn Lifetime Achievement Award, Goldsmith Career Award, and the 2015 MATRIX Award, among many others.

In September 2005, Mitchell published the best-selling memoir "Talking Back," which details her experiences as one of the first women to cover five presidents, Congress, and foreign policy.

Mitchell, who resides in Washington, is married to former Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Alan Greenspan.

Why did the Israeli mother slam Andrea Mitchell?

On Tuesday, October 10, Renana Gomeh, whose two sons age 12 and 16 were abducted by Hamas militants, became visibly irritated after Mitchell asked her feelings on the counter-strike attacks in Gaza.

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, October 10, with airstrikes after Hamas militants unleashed a full-fleshed attack where they bombarded the country with nearly 2000 missiles and launched dozens of ground attacks that killed nearly 1200 Israelis and left another 2600 gravely injured.

“I can’t be sympathetic anymore. I can’t be sympathetic to animal-human beings — well, they’re not really human beings — who came into my house, broke everything,” said Gomeh, according to Daily Mail.

Further in the interview, the mother accused Mitchell of attempting to falsely equate the Hamas assaults and Israel's counterstrikes.

“Look, you’re looking first for a symmetrical situation. And I must say it isn’t. If you were dealing with a war who is between two countries, countries don’t take children hostages,” she said.

“I’m sorry. It’s against the laws of war. It’s against humanity. It’s against anything that we all believe in. Israel never done that, and it will never do. So there is no symmetry,” the mother continued.

Internet slams Andrea Mitchell for her insensitive question

After Mitchell’s interview with Gomeh surfaced on the Internet, many internet users criticized Mitchell for questioning the distraught mother about the counterstrike.

“@mitchellreports Once again you show the world your lack of grace and class. I bet you're a joy to be around,” a second user slammed.

“How can anyone ask a mother whose children were taken by sub-human animals such a question as this,” a tweet stated.

“@mitchellreports Why would you think that was an appropriate question to ask this grieving mother? It was cruel, vile, inhumane, grotesque, hateful and so out of touch with most human beings.🇮🇱💔” another user remarked.

“Andrea Mitchell is a poor excuse for a journalist and a poorer excuse for a human,” one more said.