The Washington Post is probing one of its reporters over past alleged social media posts that express support for the “resistance” in Gaza and call Israel an “illegal” state.
Heba Farouk Mahfouz is a reporter in The Washington Post’s Cairo bureau and has written and contributed to dozens of articles on Israel’s war against the terror group Hamas. In addition to the war in Gaza, Mahfouz also covers “human rights, gender issues, the economy, [and] religious minorities.”
Mahfouz joined the Post on 2016, but several years before, her social media account was allegedly espousing radical sentiments on Israel and Palestinians. Independent journalist Eitan Fischberger resurfaced the alleged posts recently, pointing out that Mahfouz has contributed significantly to the Post’s coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
“Since the start of 2025, all 13 of the articles she’s written have focused on Israel and Hamas. The problem? She actually supports Hamas, and thinks Israel shouldn’t exist,” Fischberger posted on X, leading into a thread of some of Mahouz’s alleged old posts.
Meet Heba Farouk Mahfouz, a reporter in the @washingtonpost‘s Cairo Bureau.
Since the start of 2025, all 13 of the articles she’s written have focused on Israel and Hamas.
The problem? She actually supports Hamas, and thinks Israel shouldn’t exist. Let’s dive in 🧵 pic.twitter.com/XcOEKpkeyg
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) March 11, 2025
“Isreal IS a COLONIAL, ILLEGAL (according to international law), state. It’s not a point of view. It’s a fact,” Mahfouz allegedly said in one November 2013 post.
In another alleged post, she says she does not “like Hamas’ social repression of Palestinians,” but asserts she will “always and forever support the resistance as long as it is against the Zionist entity,” according to a translation of the post.
“I am always and forever with the resistance! And with Hamas and Hezbollah too, as long as their weapons are against Israel and not Arabs like them … with Israel itself if it is fighting against Israel!” she allegedly says in another translated post.
A Washington Post spokesperson told The Daily Wire that the paper is aware of the alleged posts and is investigating. Mahfouz’s X account is locked.
The investigation into Mahfouz’s alleged past social media posts comes as members of The Washington Post’s staff have been in an uproar as owner Jeff Bezos institutes changes at the paper. In a note to staff last month, Bezos said the paper would become a champion of “personal liberties and free markets.”
“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,” Bezos said.
The Washington Post owner has also warned about flagging American trust in media.
“We must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement. Most people believe the media is biased,” Bezos wrote in an October 2024 op-ed.
