Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who served in her country’s Defence Forces as a combat trainer several years ago, called for onlookers not to “sit on the fence” as hundreds are killed, writing online, “I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!”
She urged her followers to donate to those affected and shared a clip of U2′s show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, where the band performed Pride (In the Name of Love) in tribute to those killed and abducted at a music festival in Israel over the weekend.
During the show, Bono said: “In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence … But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us … and those beautiful kids at that music festival.”
Gadot and several others, including Madonna and Amy Schumer, have faced backlash from pro-Palestinian social media users after sharing support for Israel.
One wrote online: “Gal Gadot, Madonna, Mark Hamill, Amy Schumer, Natalie Portman and more disappointedly, Jamie Lee Curtis all publicly supporting Israel ... I stand with Palestine against Israel’s illegal occupation of their land.”
Jamie Lee Curtis shared and quickly deleted this post after backlash. Photo / @jamieleecurtis
Oscar winner Curtis shared a photo of children looking up at missiles, captioning the post “Terror from the skies”, alongside an Israeli flag. But the photographer who took the image, Samar Abu Elouf, quickly pointed out that it showed Palestinian children in Gaza running from Israeli bombs. Curtis, 64, quickly deleted the post.
Elouf shared the photo on her own page, writing: “Palestinian families seek refuge with their children from the northern Gaza Trip to UNRWA schools inside Gaza City. Children are afraid of the sound of bombing who hear it during their presence due to events on the Strip’s borders.”
Kylie Jenner also posted – and quickly deleted – a photo of the Israeli flag with the caption: “Now and always, we stand with the people of Israel!” after backlash from her followers.
Kylie Jenner deleted a post supporting Israel moments after sharing it. Photo / @kyliejenner
Several other high-profile stars shared the post, including Sofia Richie, Ashley Tisdale and Nina Dobrev.
Meanwhile, former adult entertainer Mia Khalifa has celebrated the attacks and shared support for Hamas, labelling them “freedom fighters” and criticising Jenner for posting in support of Israel.
Militant group Hamas launched thousands of rockets in a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, leaving hundreds of people dead and a “significant” number captured.
In response, Israel’s Defence Forces attacked the Gaza Strip with air strikes and missiles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday and vowed to destroy “the military and governing capabilities” of the group.
As of this morning, the death toll in the fighting stands at nearly 1600, with 900 killed in Israel and more than 680 killed in Gaza. Thousands on both sides have been wounded.
