Gal Gadot and Amy Schumer are among the hundreds of public figures in Hollywood who signed an open letter and condemned the deadly attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.
The open letter, signed by more than 700 entertainment industry figures and released by the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace, also calls for the safe return of Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza. Those joining Gadot and Schumer include Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Michael Douglas, Jerry Seinfeld, Debra Messing, Ryan Murphy, Irving Azoff, Mark Hamill, Howie Mandel, Antoine Fuqua and many more.
In the early hours of Oct. 7, the ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets. Hamas fighters reportedly infiltrated the border in several locations by air, land and sea.
According to CBS News, the Israeli military says the attack killed more than 1,200 people, including at least 27 Americans. Nearly 3,000 people were also wounded. Immediately after the surprise attack, Hamas reportedly seized between 100 and 150 hostages across southern Israel.
“This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions,” the letter states in part. “These are barbaric acts of terrorism that must be called out by everyone. They are a terrorist organization whose leaders call for the murder of Jews everywhere. CCFP calls on our friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”
Many celebrities are using their massive social media platforms to not only bring attention to the deadly attack in Israel but also help combat misinformation. Gadot is among those celebrities who has taken to her Instagram account to shine a line on the atrocities.
“I am traumatized by the unimaginable cruel acts of Hamas in Israel in the last days, thousands of innocent Israeli civilians brutally murdered, tortured and taken from their homes,” Gadot shared on her Story to her more than 109 million followers on Instagram. “I am completely devastated and heartbroken by the amount of missing person on day 5 of this horrible war. [M]y heart aches as we hear about more and more kidnapped and missing people, more and more families looking for anymore from their loved ones. [P]raying for their return.”
She added, “I am using my platform to share their faces, their names, to tell the world what is happening.”
Gadot then proceeded to include the countless “Missing” posters of Israelis who have been kidnapped over the last week.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. joined the United States on Monday to once again condemn the attack.
“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism,” the statement read in part. “In recent days, the world has watched in horror as Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes, slaughtered over 200 young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women, children, and entire families, who are now being held as hostages.”
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