Ramy Youssef got political for his opening monologue on "Saturday Night Live" ... asking God to free Palestine, as well as the Israeli hostages.
The comedian touched on the conflict Saturday, recounting an anecdote involving 2 of his friends ... who asked him to work their struggles into his prayers.
One pal asked him to ask God to help him win back custody of his dog from his ex-girlfriend -- whereas another asked Ramy to pray for his family in Gaza.
Ramy joked his prayers had become complicated because of the vastly different requests. He added ... "Please free the people of Palestine. And please free the hostages, all of the hostages. And, while you're at, free Mr. Bojangles. He's a beautiful dog. I'm praying for that dog."
Ramy's politically charged monologue was well-received by the studio audience ... as they responded with a round of applause for the first-time host.
Ramy Youssef wears an Artists for Ceasefire pin to the #Oscars: “We’re calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine.” | Variety On the Carpet presented by @DIRECTV https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j pic.twitter.com/yyM7HzpVdZ
— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2024
The 33-year-old has been very vocal about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, previously calling for a ceasefire while at the 2024 Oscars. He notably wore an "Artists for Ceasefire" pin at the awards show, alongside Billie Eilish, Mahershala Ali and Ramy's "Poor Things" costar Mark Ruffalo.