DUBAI: Celebrities from Hollywood and around the world are speaking out about increased military escalation in Gaza, the latest being British actor and Oscar winner Riz Ahmed.
Ahmed, who is of Pakistani descent, took to Instagram to say there are “no two sides” to current events in Gaza, only “the side of humanity,” and called for “an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza civilians.”
“What happened in Israel last week was horrific and wrong. The pain and fear felt by many is deep and real,” he wrote, referring to the Hamas attack on October 8.
“What is happening now in Gaza and what is happening in Palestine, which has been under occupation for decades, is terrible and wrong. The depth and reality of this suffering cannot be ignored. If we only look in one direction, we will go even into darkness,” he continued.
“But that’s exactly what’s happening now. We are asked to look away while Gazan civilians, half of them children, are running out of time. If we are on the side of humanity, we must urgently speak out to try to prevent the loss of innocent lives. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilian population and vital infrastructure, the deprivation of food, water and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. These are morally unjustifiable war crimes.”
American actor John Cusack took to X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, to show his support for Palestine, saying: “Palestinian citizens did not ask for the massacre.”
“I was at the Palestine march in Chicago. I’ll tell you something I haven’t heard; I didn’t hear Israel die, I didn’t hear Jews die, I didn’t hear people celebrating the killing of Israeli civilians. What I DID hear was that we must liberate Palestine from the brutal occupation – people worried about their loved ones are in the hell zone, stuck without food, water and electricity. “Deeply hurt by people being told to leave and being bombed when they left,” Cusack wrote.
Egyptian American actor and director Ramy Youssef also took to Instagram to share his honest thoughts, sharing images of Palestinian and Israeli artists and creators he has worked with.
“These are some of the most beautiful artists I know. I am afraid for them, and always have been. we were together in Palestine when Shirin Abu Akle was killed – an American journalist in a press vest, killed by a soldier. some of our team worked with her. I remember the panic on their faces. I remember that there was never any legal defense in connection with her murder. never happens. they have witnessed decades of human rights violations and the killing of children. I am horrified by what has happened to the lives of Palestinians. I am horrified by what happened to the lives of Israelis. I have spent most of my adult life praying for everyone in this region. Praying for my Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers suffering from PTSD around the world, and for Christians there and beyond,” he wrote in his lengthy caption.
Youssef also called for an end to violence in the Gaza Strip. “There are hostages and corpses, and the Gaza Strip is on the verge of destruction. Entire generations of families. These are civilians who have no choice and nowhere to go. a million people are asked to evacuate to nowhere. The people of Gaza do not deserve to pay for our mistakes. If the Gaza Strip is destroyed, history will see us left behind. that we have failed to find our humanity,” he continued.
Responding to Youssef, Marvel superstar Mark Ruffalo, known for playing the Hulk in the Avengers films, wrote in the comments: “I just thought that very few celebrities speaking on this subject have the life experience and knowledge that you do. . You worked there and spent time there. All these people are dear to you, and you are a person of such humanity and quality. Your voice, your life, your work, your love and your sincere care are so important in this chaotic and passionate moment. You have so much to offer to this conversation in an informative and insightful way. This is so necessary now. Thanks again, Rami. I’m so proud to know you,” Ruffalo wrote.
British comedian and political commentator John Oliver took time out of his cold open to Last Week’s Today to also discuss the humanitarian crisis.
“I don’t know what things are like in the Gaza Strip when you watch it right now, but all the signs seem to point to a humanitarian catastrophe,” Oliver said.
And he directed his ire at “the fanatics and extremists on all sides who have consistently thwarted attempts at peace over the years. Israelis and Palestinians have been let down by their leadership time and time again, and I don’t have much faith in the leaders currently in charge of guiding us toward peace.”
American singer-songwriter Kehlani also spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally held in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, where she said there was nothing difficult about taking a public stance on the issue. “I think it’s black and white and you have a choice whether to watch it or not… I want all my followers and colleagues to be on the right side of history. I want them to make a decision that is bigger than themselves. I want them to do it selflessly. I want them to do one obvious thing. And I just hope they decide to do the right thing. I keep saying it’s not that hard to make a decision.”
Several Hollywood celebrities have also spoken out in support of Israel, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Natalie Portman, Justin Bieber, Liev Schreiber, Debra Messing and Amy Schumer.
Some of them even made mistakes during the conflict: singer Bieber posted a photo of destruction in the Gaza Strip with the caption “praying for Israel”, and then deleted it without indicating the mistake.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has removed a photo she posted of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip holding an Israeli flag and the caption “terror in the sky” – she had not addressed the erroneous image at the time of publication.
On October 9, Jerusalem-born Natalie Portman shared a statement on Instagram, writing: “My heart breaks for the people of Israel. Children, women and elderly people were killed and kidnapped from their homes. “I am horrified by these barbaric acts and my heart beats with love and prayer for the families of all those affected.”
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who posted a photo of the American and Israeli flags side by side with the caption “America supports Israel,” later took to Instagram to repost the comment from American-Dutch-Palestinian supermodel Gigi Hadid.
“My thoughts are with everyone affected by this unjustified tragedy, and every day this conflict takes the lives of innocent people, too many of them children,” wrote Hadid, whose father is Palestinian.
“I have deep sympathy and sorrow for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, a responsibility I carry daily.
“I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make this clear, as I have done before: while I have hopes and dreams for the Palestinians, none of them include harm done to the Jew.”