The new horizon of crisis in the Middle East has caused a large number of celebrities to take a stand this week on Israel's side because of the attack by Hamas in the south of the country. Some other celebrities have also expressed their solidarity throughout the week with the innocent people of the Gaza Strip as the Israeli army's counteroffensive continues.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot has started a social media campaign with testimonies of mothers with children who are missing using the hashtag
Since she started her social media activism, Gadot's comments section has been flooded with users writing "Free Palestine" and messages with the Palestinian flag icon. She is not the only one who has been harassed on social networks by defenders of the Palestinian cause in recent days. Coral Simanovich, a model from the United States of Israeli descent and wife of the Chilean midfielder Sergi Roberto, was forced to make her social networks private after the barrage of comments she was receiving for her posts supporting Israel.
In the same line, Kylie Jenner deleted an Instagram post in which she showed her support "now and always" for Israel. Many netizens questioned her understanding of the 75-year occupation of the Palestinian territories and some also saw an insolence from Kim Kardashian's sister to her supermodel friend Bella Hadid, who is of Palestinian and Dutch descent and has spoken at length and openly of Palestinian rights in the past.
The American Mark Ruffalo, known for his roles in Spotlight, was also criticized on social networks for blaming both sides for the latest escalation of violence. This time, on his official Twitter account, where he has been pro-Palestinian several times, the interpreter echoed the words of journalist Nathan Thrall, who said: "It's horrible to see innocent civilians killed [...] We pray for their safety, as we pray for the safety of the innocent people of Gaza who are being bombed and besieged."
Algerian boxer and model Younes Bendjima criticized the idea of blaming both sides for the war. "There is only one side," he wrote. He criticized the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, restrictions on movement and also emphasized the disparity in international support, noting that the Palestinians do not have the support of the United States.
Jamie Lee Curtis was another who was forced to delete a post after receiving violent comments for sharing a photograph of Palestinian children calling for "all children to be protected". The actress has always shown her support for Israel but, be it or not, she used an image by Samar Abu Elouf for the New York Times of Palestinian families seeking refuge in Gaza. After removing the image, he shared another photograph of unrecognizable children claiming that "during war all children must be protected".
Madonna, for her part, remembered all the victims of the conflict, although she clearly supported Israel. The singer pointed out that conflicts between nations can never be resolved with more violence. "My heart goes out to Israel [...] I am aware that this is the work of Hamas and that there are many innocent people in Palestine who do not support this terrorist organization," he wrote.
Gal Gadot, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer and Michael Douglas are among more than 700 celebrities and entertainment executives who have signed an open letter, created by the organization without nonprofit Creative Community For Peace, condemning Hamas' attack on Israel and calling for the return of the hostages.
In the past, without the context of this attack by the terrorist group, other celebrities have shown their support for the Palestinian cause or the innocent people of the Gaza Strip. This is the case of Bella Hadid, Emma Watson, Selena Gomez, Zayn Malik, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd, among others.
