Bassem Youssef returns to X after deactivating account over 'safety issues'

American-Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef has returned to X a week after deactivating his account over "safety issues".

The satirist added that he had begun researching the legitimacy of these issues and had not posted on any platforms since.

"In conclusion: I am back and posting as usual on all platforms including X," Youssef wrote.

Youssef is one of the best-known comedians from the Arab world and his biting political satire, which had recently been directed at Israel's brutal assault on Gaza.

He said in his post on Tuesday about how "consuming" social media had become for him, and this - along with personal and health issues - had caused him "burnout".

"Although the safety concerns were alleviated and the hacking issue was secured a few days later I needed to get away from social media so I didn't post anywhere."

Youssef said that he would soon release a video explaining the situation before "disconnecting" from social media.

Fans of the comedian became concerned after Youssef's account became inactive on X, accusing the platform of censoring his pro-Palestinian news, particularly as his final tweet slammed the conflation of ant-Zionism with antisemitism and flagged how pro-Palestine activists are being targeted.

Youssef clarified the following day that he had deactivated his account and would be posting on other platforms in the meantime.

"No, my X account wasn't taken down by X, and I don't wish to falsely victimize myself using this," he said on Instagram.

"When safety issues concerning my loved ones are alleviated, I might consider coming back. I wish to deal with this away from media."

Youssef has been vocal against Israel's war on Gaza, which has since killed over 40,000 Palestinians, especially after his interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, where he used dark humour to criticise Israel's war.