\n\tRIYADH: As Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza continues, a growing number of cultural figures are using their global platform to demand a ceasefire, speak out against alleged war crimes, and support Palestinian civilians.<\/p>\n
\n\tAlmost 22 months since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza, artists, writers, musicians, and actors who once remained silent have joined growing calls for a ceasefire and condemnation of what many now openly describe as genocide.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis year alone, open letters signed by hundreds of artists, authors and filmmakers have made headlines, demanding action from political leaders and calling out what they describe as the dehumanization of Palestinians.<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom high-profile actors to music stars and children\u2019s entertainers, here are just some of the well-known figures who have taken a stand.<\/p>\n
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\n\tAriana Grande<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tPop singer Ariana Grande joined a growing number of artists speaking out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On Sunday, July 17, she posted two Instagram stories backing the Red Line for Gaza campaign, which demands unrestricted access to humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n \n\tIn one story, Grande shared a message that read: \u201cStarving people to death is a red line. The Israeli government is crossing this red line before our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tAngelina Jolie<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn April this year, American actress Angelina Jolie, who spent over 20 years as a goodwill ambassador and special envoy for the UNHCR, reaffirmed her support for Gaza by sharing a Medecins Sans Frontiers report on Gaza in an Instagram story.<\/p>\n \n\tThe report described the situation in Gaza as a \u201cmass grave for Palestinians and those helping them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut Jolie has been an advocate for Palestinian people\u2019s rights since the conflict began in October 2023. She wrote in an Instagram post on Oct. 28 that year: \u201cWhat happened in Israel is an act of terror.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tSusan Sarandon<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn an Artists4Ceasefire post on Instagram in February, American actress Susan Sarandon was quoted as saying: \u201cPalestinians have the right to return, rebuild, and live in freedom on their land.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGaza was destroyed with our weapons \u2014 now Trump wants to ethnically cleanse Palestinian survivors to create resort properties for his developer friends and family.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe must rise up together, use everything we have, to finally end the suffering our government inflicts. Peace and justice are for all of us, or for none of us. What we allow in Gaza, we allow everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tMark Ruffalo<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn February 2024, at the Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills, American actor Mark Ruffalo called for a ceasefire in Gaza. He wore two pins on his jacket and told the entertainment news website Deadline that the pins represented \u201cpeace lilies and Artists for Ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRuffalo said: \u201cWe\u2019ve come to understand this bombing isn\u2019t working, we\u2019re not going to bomb our way to peace, and all we\u2019re saying is, what\u2019s wrong with giving a ceasefire a chance?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tPiers Morgan<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tBritish journalist Piers Morgan has publicly called on US President Donald Trump to intervene and demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu end the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a post on X in June, Morgan wrote: \u201cNow is the time for you to tell (Netanyahu) to end this terrible war \u2026 and stop the incessant daily slaughter of civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOnce a staunch defender of Israel\u2019s right to retaliate after the Oct. 7 attack, Morgan has since shifted tone. Speaking with Mehdi Hasan on his show, he said he could \u201cresist no more\u201d in criticizing Israel\u2019s actions, describing them as the \u201cstarvation of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tGigi and Bella Hadid<\/p>\n \n\tSupermodel sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid have donated a combined $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts. The funds were to be equally distributed among four organizations: HEAL Palestine, Palestine Children\u2019s Relief Fund, World Central Kitchen, and UNRWA.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Hadid sisters, whose father is Palestinian, have been outspoken advocates for the Palestinian cause, with Gigi expressing deep empathy for Palestinians living under occupation and emphasizing her hopes for peace that exclude harm to any Jewish person.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it\u2019s a responsibility I hold daily,\u201d Gigi said in a statement following the Oct. 7 attack.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tDua Lipa<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tBritish-Kosovan singer Dua Lipa publicly condemned Israel\u2019s military operations in Gaza, calling them \u201cIsraeli genocide,\u201d The Guardian reported in May 2024.<\/p>\n \n\tSharing a graphic from the Artists4Ceasefire campaign alongside the widely used hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah, Lipa wrote: \u201cBurning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilizing to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAbel \u2018The Weeknd\u2019 Tesfaye<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn April 2024, Canadian singer and songwriter and UN World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador Abel \u201cThe Weeknd\u201d Tesfaye allocated another $2 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund toward WFP\u2019s humanitarian response efforts in Gaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe funding built on the original $2.5 million that Tesfaye directed to WFP\u2019s Gaza response in December 2023.<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tAmir Khan<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn the days after the Oct. 7 attack, British-Pakistani former boxer Amir Khan said people are often \u201cscared\u201d to come out in support of Palestine, fearing backlash. He took to X to say that \u201cPalestinian lives matter\u201d and that he has \u201cnever been scared to speak\u201d his mind.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy entire career, my aim was to become a world champion and use my fame and influence to make a positive change in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never been scared to speak my mind and stand up for the downtrodden.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cRecently when Ukraine was attacked by Russia, I personally flew to Poland to support the Ukrainian refugees who had been displaced by the effects of war. \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo many people spoke up about these atrocities, but as the world watches what is unfolding in Palestine, I see so many of my peers, friends and colleagues who are remaining silent. Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tRenee Rapp<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAmerican singer and actress Renee Rapp used her acceptance speech at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles to call for an \u201cimmediate\u201d and \u201cpermanent ceasefire\u201d in Gaza. She urged the audience to use their voices to advocate not only for themselves but also for their friends and those who cannot advocate for themselves.<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tNicola Coughlan<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIrish actress Nicola Mary Coughlan regularly shares posts on social media showing support for Gaza. In one post from November 2023, she wrote: \u201cLet no one \u2014 no person, no news organization, no government gaslight you into thinking that basic human empathy is controversial.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn another post in May 2025, she called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and wrote: \u201cI think it deeply important that people speak up in this moment. No child, no matter where they are from, their religion, anything should be starved to death by a government.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis is a war crime, plain and simple. The US and UK governments who are aiding and abetting this need to be held to account. This is happening with our tax money and we have a moral obligation to tell them we will not let this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRiz Ahmed\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn October 2023, British-Pakistani actor and musician Riz Ahmed called Israel\u2019s strikes \u201cmorally indefensible war crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe urged the public and leaders to urgently speak out to prevent further loss of innocent lives, highlighting the deep pain and suffering experienced by both Israelis and Palestinians under long-standing occupation and ongoing violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAhmed has been part of movements and public letters urging respect for human rights and coexistence, implicitly supporting peace initiatives like a two-state solution.<\/p>\n \n\tHe has been involved in calls for peace in the Middle East alongside other celebrities, referencing \u201ca two-state solution for peace-loving Israelis and Palestinians\u201d as part of broader advocacy.<\/p>\n \n\tZadie Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tA year after publishing an essay in The New Yorker critical of campus protests, British novelist Zadie Smith became one of the most prominent signatories of an open letter by UK and Irish authors condemning Israel\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe use of the words \u2018genocide\u2019 or \u2018acts of genocide\u2019 to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tBenedict Cumberbatch<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe British actor was among 300 UK public figures who signed an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging the UK to end its \u201ccomplicity in the horrors in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe letter, organized by campaign group Choose Love, stated: \u201cRight now, children in Gaza are starving while food and medicine sit just minutes away, blocked at the border. Words won\u2019t feed Palestinian children \u2014 we need action. Every single one of Gaza\u2019s 2.1 million people is at risk of starvation, as you read this.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tSteve Coogan<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAfter signing the UK entertainment industry letter, British actor Steve Coogan publicly read the names of children killed in Gaza at a Westminster vigil. He told Sky News: \u201cThey\u2019re all children who had lives, who had nothing to do with the conflict \u2026 this has to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs the \u201cmass, indiscriminate killing of innocent people\u201d has continued, he added, \u201cmore and more people are realizing that this has to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJuliette Binoche<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tInitially reluctant to sign a Cannes Film Festival letter denouncing genocide in Gaza, Binoche faced backlash for her silence. After dedicating her festival opening remarks to a slain Gazan journalist \u2014 without naming Israel \u2014 she reversed course and signed the letter the next day.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tMore than 370 actors and filmmakers, including high-profile Hollywood figures such as Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Guillermo del Toro signed the May open letter condemning the film industry\u2019s silence on what they described as \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n Naima Abu Ful poses for a photo with her 2-year-old malnourished child, Yazan, at their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)\n<\/div>\n \n\tMalala Yousafzai<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe Nobel laureate wrote on X: \u201cIt makes me sick to my stomach to see Israel\u2019s cruelty and brutality in Gaza \u2026 I call on every world leader to put maximum pressure on the Israeli government to end this genocide and protect civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThom Yorke<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe Radiohead frontman, once criticized for performing in Tel Aviv, posted on Instagram to denounce Netanyahu for the \u201chorrific blockade of aid to Gaza,\u201d adding that the \u201cexcuse of self-defense has long worn thin.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRachel Accurso<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe children\u2019s entertainer behind the successful YouTube brand, Ms Rachel, told NPR in May: \u201cI would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for (Gazan children). It\u2019s all about the kids for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDan Reynolds<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tDuring a Milan concert, Imagine Dragons\u2019 Reynolds wore a Palestinian flag after a fan tossed it on stage. The act drew renewed attention to the band\u2019s controversial earlier decision to perform in Israel \u2014 and highlighted shifting stances within the music world.<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tPaloma Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tFaith delivered a speech at a protest outside the Israeli Embassy in London in March, vowing she \u201cwon\u2019t fall silent until Palestine is free.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe said: \u201cWhen the ceasefire was called, like all of you I was relieved but fearful that it would not last.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI know that Israel has violated every ceasefire agreement it has ever signed, but even with that knowledge and that fear, even after watching months of that genocide, I wasn\u2019t prepared for these new depths of brutality to which Israel has descended.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe added: \u201cA child is slaughtered every eight minutes, we should stand in silence for a minute for every child killed in Gaza in this genocide but if we did that, we\u2019d be silent for over 300 hours so I won\u2019t fall silent.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe has also appeared in a campaign urging boycotts of Israeli goods.<\/p>\n Naima Abu Ful poses for a photo with her 2-year-old malnourished child, Yazan, at their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jehad Alshrafi)\n<\/div>\n \n\tHannah Einbinder<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWhile accepting a Human Rights Campaign award in LA in March, the Hacks star said: \u201cI am horrified by the Israeli government\u2019s massacre of well over 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI am ashamed and infuriated that this mass murder is funded by our American tax dollars. It should not be controversial to say that we should all be against murdering civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t \n\tAndrew Garfield<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tOn the Happy Sad Confused podcast in October 2024, American actor Garfield was blunt: \u201cWe should be putting our energy towards something that actually matters \u2014 maybe the lives of Palestinians in Gaza right now.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMaybe that\u2019s where we put our hearts and our energy in, and oppressed, anyone suffering under the weight of the horrors of our world right now, anyone who doesn\u2019t have a choice in living lives of dignity. That\u2019s where our energy should be going right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMarcia Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe \u201cDesperate Housewives\u201d actress has consistently called for a ceasefire on social media. \u201cIt\u2019s about the land. And extermination of the Palestinian people. Sick,\u201d she wrote in October 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIn February, she posted a quote from Iraqi-American lawyer and poet Tina Al-Khersan on Instagram, which read: \u201cI\u2019m struggling to comprehend how to live among people with eyes that don\u2019t water, hearts that don\u2019t flinch, and voices that remain silent.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJohn Legend<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tSpeaking to Mehdi Hasan in October 2024, Legend criticized US aid to Israel. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be writing blank checks to any country \u2026 It makes me very frustrated at how we easily dehumanize certain people.\u201d He has long linked racial justice in the US to Palestinian liberation.<\/p>\n Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)\n<\/div>\n \n\tJavier Bardem<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn 2014, Bardem denounced Israeli attacks in the Spanish newspaper El Diario, facing backlash that lasted years. In 2024, he returned to the issue at the San Sebastian Film Festival, criticizing the Oct. 7 attack, as well as the \u201cmassive punishment that the Palestinian population is enduring.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSpeaking to AP after the event, Bardem said: \u201cI believe that we can and must help bring peace. If we take a different approach, then we will get different results.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe security and prosperity of Israel and the health and future of a free Palestine will only be possible through a culture of peace, coexistence and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Palestinians carry the bodies of people who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza that has been used as a shelter, during their funeral near the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)\n<\/div>\n \n\tJJ (Johannes Pietsch)<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tAfter winning Eurovision 2025, JJ criticized Israel\u2019s inclusion in the competition. \u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing to see Israel still participating. I would like Eurovision to be held without Israel in Vienna next year,\u201d the Austrian-Filipino singer told Spanish newspaper El Pais.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBut the ball is in the European Broadcasting Union\u2019s court. We, the artists, can only speak out on the matter.\u201d \n\t \n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arabnews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" RIYADH: As Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza continues, a growing number of cultural figures are using their global platform to demand a ceasefire, speak out against alleged war crimes, and support Palestinian civilians. Almost 22 months since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza, artists, writers, musicians, and actors who once remained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2404128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2404127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-growing-wave-of-celebrities-who-have-endorsed-a-two-state.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2404127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2404129,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404127\/revisions\/2404129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2404128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2404127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2404127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2404127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/pictures\/July\/20\/2025\/angelina_jolie.jpg\")
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