Drake and Jennifer Lopez are some of the latest artists to sign an open letter calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Adam Lambert has also joined the pair in adding his signature to the Artists4Ceasefire letter, which asks US President Joe Biden and Congress to push for the decision that would bring “an end to the bombing of Gaza”, with the aim of securing “the safe release of hostages”.
The letter was signed originally by Dua Lipa, R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe, Caroline Polachek, Killer Mike, Vic Mensa, Miguel, Kaytranada, Macklemore, as well as actors Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack, Lena Waithe and others.
Part of the letter, which was published last week, reads: “We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honour all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages.
“More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
The letter continued: “Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”
On October 9, two days after the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas massacred – according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) – 1,400 people and took more than 200 people hostage in a spate of attacks in Israel, the Israeli government retaliated by declaring a “complete siege” of Gaza.
Access to electricity, food and water supplies was cut to an area comprising 2.3 million people, nearly half of whom are children. Israel has since hit Gaza with deadly air campaign and in recent days has launched a ground invasion.
The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, has claimed that the death toll in Gaza has now passed 8,000 [via AP].
Yesterday (October 30) Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press briefing that Israel would never agree to a ceasefire because it would mean to “surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism” [via Sky News].
He compared calls for a ceasefire after October 7 to calling on the US to agree to a ceasefire after the 9/11 attacks.