Comedian and social media influencer Zach Sage Fox went to the West Bank to see if Palestinians support Hamas. He barely made it out alive.
Fox, known for his viral "Gaza Graduation" video, has been educating his followers since the October 7 terror attacks. He took his man-on-the-street interviews to the West Bank, a region Palestinians hope to establish as an independent state along with Gaza.
Fox, a proud Jewish American, was in Israel when his production team suggested he visit the West Bank with a Muslim producer and cameraman. Despite the risks, he saw a rare chance to get unfettered access to Palestinians.
"Israelis aren't allowed into the West Bank," Fox told Fox News. "I'm an American Jew, and it doesn't say ‘Jew’ on my passport. So, I was told, ‘As long as you don't say you're Jewish, they won't kill you on the spot.’"
"I thought, ‘I think I could pass for Italian,’" Fox added. "I'm going to take the risk."
Fox dressed down, removing his jewelry and nail polish, wearing his most "masculine" outfit. He didn't tell most friends and family, fearing they'd dissuade him.
Posing as an Italian American, Fox crossed into the West Bank without issue, which he found "kind of shocking."
He started with a prearranged interview with a "moderate" man, as described by his Muslim producer. They met at a coffee shop in Ramallah, near Jerusalem.
The man denied that "innocent Israelis" were killed in the October 7 attacks, supported Hamas, and claimed rapes never occurred during the attacks.
"I realized quickly, if this is one of the more educated people, I might be in for a shock," Fox said.
Fox then recorded spontaneous interviews in Ramallah. "Things got very contentious very quick," he said.
"It was like one after another, massive love and support for Hamas," Fox noted. "I thought younger people might not support Hamas, but they all did."
Fox found people who openly supported Hamas and opposed releasing Israeli hostages. Things escalated when he tried to interview a fully covered woman.
"A Palestinian man started screaming in Arabic," Fox said. His translator explained the man was upset.
The man yelled about modesty, saying women shouldn’t speak for all Palestinians. Fox tried to ignore him, but he grew more agitated, calling other men for support.
"They started threatening us if we didn't delete the footage," Fox said. "I've never faced this kind of threat before."
"Death threats followed quickly," Fox added. He initially resisted but caved when his cameraman feared for his life.
"We deleted footage in front of him," Fox said. "Then we ran to the car and bolted out of Palestine."
Fox's IT team recovered some footage, leading to the viral "Wild West Bank" video. Despite losing some content, he's "happy to be out alive" and thrilled with the video's impact.
"Wild West Bank" has over 4.7 million views on X.
Fox used the term "Palestine" in his video for "kumbaya purposes," despite many Jews not using that term.
"There's a land Palestinians live in, and the dream is a two-state solution," Fox said. "But that dream seems further than ever."
The Department of State recently advised Americans to avoid the West Bank due to "terrorism and civil unrest."