Washington University professor says he was fired for anti-Hamas post

A veteran professor claims he was fired from Washington University for an anti-Hamas post on X over the weekend that was decried by Muslim groups as a call for “ethnic cleansing.”

In an exchange with another user, geneticist Seth Crosby referenced Israel’s retaliation for the group’s shocking terror incursions last week.

Crosby, who worked in the St. Louis college’s school of medicine for several decades, called Israel’s strikes in the Gaza Strip’s “a much needed cleansing, yes, but not an ethnic one. Israel is not targeting humans.”

The sentiment immediately drew the ire of several Muslim advocacy groups, who said Crosby was dehumanizing Palestinians as a whole.

“It is unconscionable that a professor at a Missouri institution of higher education would allegedly call for the ethnic cleansing of any population and would seek to dehumanize the target of that crime against humanity,” said CAIR-Missouri Board Chair Yasir Ali.

“We urge Washington University to investigate this troubling incident and to take appropriate action.”

Crosby later posted he was referring only to Hamas and its membership, not Palestinians generally.

“I am so very sorry for the anger I have caused by my clumsy words,” he wrote. “Israel is targeting Hamas, an organization which has taken the life’s of thousands of Israeli citizens. I did not intend to imply that the deaths of the Palestinian people was in any way acceptable.”

On Saturday, Crosby posted that he had been fired by the university, saying he had “destroyed himself” before deleting his account.

While school officials distanced themselves from Crosby’s initial post, they denied that he had been formally terminated.

“The opinions he has expressed as an individual do not represent the university’s position,” spokesperson Julie Flory told Newsweek. “We are following up as appropriate, according to our policies and processes.”

foldedAsked if he had been sacked, Flory said she could provide no further information.

As of Tuesday, Crosby’s name and title appeared on the school’s web site, but his picture and bio had been removed.

According to his LinkedIn profile — which has since been deleted — Crosby spent almost 20 years at the university and most recently served as director of research collaborations for the department of genetics.

He did not immediately return a request for comment.

American universities have been riven by the Israel-Hamas war, with students and staff pledging support for Israel clashing with those who rallying for the interests of Palestinians living in Gaza.

Hamas raids in southern Israel on Oct. 7 killed over 1,400 people, mostly civilians, while roughly 200 hostages remain captive in Gaza, according to an Associated press count.

Israeli strikes have killed 2,778 Palestinians and wounded 9,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the wire service reported Tuesday.