From Selena Gomez To Weeknd: Celebs Who Have Come Forward To Help Gaza

In the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the plight of innocent civilians of Gaza, particularly children who lost their lives following heavy bombing, has captured the attention of celebrities around the world. A group of them also wrote an open letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to take action in the midst of the ongoing crisis. The letter attracted a diverse group of signatories including Jennifer Lopez, Zayn Malik, Bella Hadid, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Channing Tatum, Drake, Dua Lipa, Joaquin Phoenix, Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Michael Moore, and Sarah Jones, amongst others. But besides the letter, several other influential names have now come forward individually, to speak out against the violence and fervently call for an end to the bloodshed, amplifying the urgent need for peace and humanitarian aid.

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for calling Palestinians “collateral damage”. Speaking at NBC’s Meet the Press, Netanyahu said, “We’re deliberately doing everything in our power to target the terrorists. And the civilians, as happens in every legitimate war, are sometimes what are called ‘collateral damage.’ That’s a longer way of saying unintended casualties.” In response to his statement, Ruffalo took to social media and shared, “No. Sorry. They are not ‘collateral damage’ they are human beings who happen to have been born there and live there and most of those human beings are stuck there. Have some compassion, they are Palestinians not buildings or roads or things, they are human beings and so are the hostages whose lives you may also be destroying. They aren’t ‘collateral damage’ either.”

Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie, also a longstanding special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), voiced strong criticism of Israel for its military actions in Gaza. In her long Instagram post, a week back, she wrote, “What happened in Israel is an act of terror. But that cannot justify the innocent lives lost in bombing a civilian population in Gaza that has nowhere to go, no access to food or water, no possibility of evacuation, and not even the basic human right to cross a border to seek refuge.” In a later post she uploaded a picture of Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip with the caption saying that “Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave.”

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has donated $2.5 million towards providing four million emergency meals to Palestinians in Gaza.