Dozens of public figures in Hollywood and across the US have commented on the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2023/10/12/israel-hamas-gaza-death-live/" target="_blank">Israel-Gaza war</a>. Actors Jamie Lee Curtis, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2022/08/15/liev-schreiber-and-andriy-shevchenko-visit-ukraine-in-international-appeal/" target="_blank">Liev Schreiber</a>, Debra Messing, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/gal-gadot-s-israel-palestine-tweet-receives-online-backlash-to-the-dustbin-of-history-1.1222011" target="_blank">Gal Gadot</a> and Amy Schumer were joined by hundreds of entertainment executives in showing support for Israel through the Creative Community For Peace group. “This is evil. There is no justification or rationalisation for Hamas’s actions. These are barbaric acts of terrorism that must be called out by everyone,” the organisation's <a href="https://www.creativecommunityforpeace.com/blog/2023/10/12/israel-under-attack-open-letter/" target="_blank">statement</a> read. The stars and creatives were joined by Hollywood executives from companies including Mattel, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and more. “Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.” An unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil killed at least 1,200 people on Saturday. Model Gigi Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, made an Instagram post with her reaction to the events. “My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict – too many of which are children,” she wrote. “I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily. “I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: while I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.” At least 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza amid Israeli retaliatory strikes following the Hamas attack. Several celebrities – from Madonna to Natalie Portman and Kim Kardashian – have posted statements on their social media profiles, and the conflict has played out in the comments. Online users have urged public figures to pick a side in the conflict, while some users have been suggesting that anything pro-Palestinian is anti-Israel or anti-Semitic in the aftermath of the horrific attack. Hadid wrote that “the terrorising of innocent people is not in alignment with and does not do any good for the ‘Free Palestine' movement”. “The idea that it does has fuelled a painful, decades-long cycle of back-and-forth retaliation,” she wrote. Her sister Bella Hadid, known for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2022/04/16/bella-hadid-calls-out-instagram-for-shadow-banning-palestine-posts/" target="_blank">being outspoken</a> for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/gigi-and-bella-hadid-huda-kattan-and-susan-sarandon-among-stars-to-speak-out-in-solidarity-with-palestine-the-world-is-watching-1.1221718" target="_blank">the Palestinian cause</a> in recent years, has remained quiet this week. Meanwhile, some performers have found themselves making mistakes amid the conflict: singer Justin Bieber posted a photo of destruction in Gaza with the caption “praying for Israel” before taking it down. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis deleted a photo she posted of Palestinian children in Gaza with an Israeli flag in a caption reading “terror in the skies”.
