NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The Cornell professor, Russell Rickford who described the Hamas terror attack on Israel as "exhilarating" and "energizing" has now taken a leave of absence, which is expected to last at least until the end of the semester.

Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history, gained notoriety for these inflammatory comments made during a pro-Palestinian protest shortly after the October 7 surprise attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people, primarily civilians.

Following this news, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the professor and share more updates about his leave.

However, the internet did not react positively to the news and took a brutal jab at the professor as the internet called for his firing.

Sean Hannity slam college professor for calling Hamas attack ‘exciting’

Fox News anchor Sean Hannity took to X and wrote, “College Professor Who Said Hamas Attack Was 'Exhilarating' and 'Exciting' Takes Leave of Absence. Professor Russell Rickford has requested and received approval to take a leave of absence from the university."

Hannity’s tweet featured an article from his official website titled, “College Professor Who Said Hamas Attack Was 'Exhilarating' and 'Exciting' Takes Leave of Absence.”

In the article, it was stated that the college professor, Russell Rickford who called the attacks on Israel were “exhilarating” and “energizing” has requested for leave of absence as per The New York Post.

The professor went viral after his sickening reaction to the slaughter of innocents. In the video, the professor said to a crowd of students “It was exhilarating. It was exhilarating, it was energizing.”

The Ivy League School confirmed that following his remarks, he has taken a leave of absence from the university.

Moreover, a petition demanding Rickford’s termination has gained almost 11,000 signatures on change.org, the outlet reported, noting that among those who called for his resignation are Sen Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep Claudia Tenney.

Internet calls out college professor’s remarks on Hamas attack

After Sean Hannity reported on professor taking a leave of absence following his brutal remarks on Hamas attack, the internet went furious and slammed the professor.

One person wrote, “Perhaps it's time for the government to take a closer look at these individuals who praise Hamas, the Palestinians, actions against Israel. Possibility of revoking thier visas.”

Another called out Rickford adding, “Hope your absence lasts a very longvtime,” and one more had a similar opinion, “He took leave of his sanity, now a leave of absence, the final step should be YOU’RE FIRED!”

A person simply wrote, “We should send him to Gaza for a exciting and exhilarating vacation,” and one said, “Not feeling quite as exhilarated and excited now??”

One person shared their opinion adding, “I call for the firing of professor Russell Rickford. We cannot allow people like this to poison the minds of the young people that he is paid to teach a curriculum. His moral standards are sickening.”