On June 8, 2023, AJ+ Arabic, an online media platform run by Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar), published a video in which the show's presenter, Jordanian comedian Nikolas Khoury, saluted and praised Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian policeman who recently killed three Israeli soldiers on the border between Israel and Egypt. In a play on the gunman's name, which is the same as famous Egyptian soccer player Mohamed Salah, Khoury referred to the killing of the three soldiers as a "hat-trick," adding: "If just one soldier did this, imagine what the rest could do." In addition, he said that the peace agreements between Egypt and Israel are, and will continue to be, between the governments, not the people.
Nikolas Khouri: "Today, we want to talk about the pride of the Arabs, the courageous Egyptian hero who penetrated his rival's defenses, tore the net, and scored a hat-trick, bringing delight to the Arab and Islamic nation. I'm talking about Mohamed Salah..."
Man: "My dear Nikolas, you are a journalist, you cannot be so straightforward."
Khouri: "Am I not allowed to be straightforward about my love to Mohamed Salah who plays for Liverpool?"
Man: "Ah, you're talking about Mohamed Salah the Liverpool player..."
[...]
Khouri: "According to the official Egyptian narrative, [Egyptian soldier] Mohamed Salah was chasing drug smugglers on Egypt's border with the [Israeli] occupation. During the chase, he crossed the border and there was an exchange of fire, in which three Israeli soldiers were killed, and two more wounded. We salute you, hero!
[...]
"Sadly, Mohamed Salah was killed. May Allah have mercy upon him and give patience to his family. We consider him to be a martyr. I have two messages to the occupation. The first is that the agreements were, are, and will continue to be between you and the governments. They will never become agreements between you and the [Arab] people. To the people I say: Don't be upset when they change our school curricula or play with our media outlets. Nothing will change, and the best proof of that is that Mohamed Salah was only 22. My second message is: If just one soldier did this, imagine what the rest could do."