LONDON: British-American TV news channel host Mehdi Hasan has bid farewell to MSNBC one month after the cancellation of his late-night opinion show was announced.

During the last episode, aired on Sunday, he explained his decision to leave the network.

鈥淭onight is not just my final episode of 鈥楾he Mehdi Hasan Show.鈥� It鈥檚 my last day with MSNBC. Yes, I鈥檝e decided to leave,鈥� he told viewers.

Known for its fiery interviews with political figures, Hasan鈥檚 show was discontinued as part of a broader restructuring at MSNBC. The Hill reported that Egypt-born political commentator Ayman Mohyeldin鈥檚 program would be extended by an hour to fill Hasan鈥檚 former time slot.

The show鈥檚 cancellation has coincided with Hasan鈥檚 criticism of Israel鈥檚 actions during its war with Hamas in Gaza.

Media analysts and fellow journalists have warned that the ending of the show would leave American audiences without a critical voice in the corporate news media amid ongoing conflicts.

In an article for news website Common Dreams, American journalist Julia Conley noted that Hasan鈥檚 show included 鈥渟ome of the US corporate media鈥檚 only critical coverage of the US-backed Israeli onslaught in Gaza.鈥�

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna described the show鈥檚 demise as 鈥渂ad optics鈥� for MSNBC, coming at a time when Hasan was making a vocal stance on human rights in Gaza.

In his farewell episode, Hasan paid tribute to AFP videographer Mustafa Thuraya, and Hamza Al-Dahdouh, a cameraman for Al Jazeera and the son of the network鈥檚 Gaza bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday while returning from an assignment in south Gaza.

Hasan slammed Israel for its actions, accusing officials of carrying out a genocidal plan in the Strip.

He said: 鈥淲hat is Israel鈥檚 end goal in Gaza? Ethnic cleansing is, of course, a war crime, but Israel continues to deny that it鈥檚 committing war crimes in Gaza even as journalists on the ground continue to document what leading human rights groups and even UN rapporteurs have said could amount to war crimes. And those journalists themselves keep getting killed.鈥�

Following an interview where Hasan pressed Israeli government adviser Mark Regev to address Israel鈥檚 misinformation about the war, MSNBC announced in November that the show would end after the new year, and Hasan would continue at the network as a guest host.

While initially expressing his intention to stay on as an on-camera analyst and occasional host, the reasons for Hasan鈥檚 change of heart remain unclear.

In his leaving statement, he acknowledged the past three years hosting the live show on MSNBC and thanked the production team and viewers for their support.

鈥淚鈥檝e decided that it鈥檚 time for me to look for a new challenge,鈥� Hasan added.

Before joining MSNBC in 2021, Hasan worked for Al Jazeera English and hosted a podcast at The Intercept.