Joan Rivers has said she has no sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, declaring they ‘deserve to be dead’. Rivers, 81-year-old comedian the daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants launched a furious rant outside a Los Angeles airport, saying that the Palestinians who do not leave their homes are ‘idiots’ and that ‘at least the ones that were killed were the ones with very low IQs’. She then said the thought the nearly 2,000 Palestinian who have died on the Gaza strip since Israel launched military operations in the area a month ago ‘deserved it’. She then further attacked the Palestinian people for voting for Hamas in democratic elections. ‘You can’t get rid of Hamas, You have to say you do not recognise them, they are terrorists. ‘They were re-elected by a lot of stupid people who don’t even own a pencil.’ When questioned further about the civilian victims, she added: ‘You were told to get out, you don’t get out, then you know you’re an idiot, and at least the ones that were killed were the ones with very low IQs.’
In a clip published on U.S. entertainment website TMZ on Tuesday, Rivers was seen apparently shouting, “You’re dead, you deserve to be dead. You started it. You started it. Don’t you dare make me feel sad about that.” After these statements, earlier on Thursday, it was reported that the 81-year-old comedian was rushed to hospital after she had stopped breathing during a reported throat procedure at a clinic in New York. She stopped breathing during a throat operation and went in a medically induced coma. Source added that Joan River’s health condition made her dependent on machines after she stopped breathing following her surgery. A family member has said that her condition is critical.