Cherien Dabis, Riz Ahmed, Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart, and Rooney Mara are among Hollywood and entertainment celebrities urging US president Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.
Andrew Garfield, Jessica Chastain, James Schamus, Joaquin Phoenix, Mahershala Ali, Jon Stewart, and Dua Lipa have also added their names to an open letter on Friday urging Biden and all world leaders to call for “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost”.
It is estimated that more than 5,000 Palestinians and Israelis have lost their lives since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The surprise offensive led to retaliatory attacks by Israel, whose military has laid siege to Gaza.
The Palestinian territory is home to more than two million Palestinians and Friday’s open letter on the Artists 4 Ceasefire website notes that more than half of residents in the region are children and two-thirds are refugees.
The letter has also called for the release of all the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 and being held in Gaza. On Friday two US hostages were released.
In a brief trip to Israel this week Biden pledged the United States’ support for Israel and also spoke to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to reopen the border crossing with Gaza. The first humanitarian shipments are expected within days.
The Hamas attacks have killed more than 1,400 people according to the BBC, which reports Palestinian authorities saying more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The open letter appears below.
Dear President Biden,
We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.
We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. 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.
We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor 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. 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.
We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days – resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes.
“Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.” – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder
Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.
We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.”
Alia Shawkat
Alyssa Milano
Amanda Seales
Amber Tamblyn
America Ferrera
Andrew Garfield
Anoushka Shankar
Aria Mia Loberti
Ayo Edebiri
Bassam Tariq
Bassem Youssef
Caroline Polachek
Cate Blanchett
Channing Tatum
Cherien Dabis
Darius Marder
David Cross
Dev Hynes
Dominique Fishback
Dominique Thorne
Dua Lipa
Elvira Lind
Farah Bsaiso
Fatima Farheen Mirza
Hasan Minhaj
Hend Sabry
Ilana Glazer
Indya Moore
James Schamus
Jeremy Strong
Jessica Chastain
Joaquin Phoenix
Jon Stewart
Kehlani
Kristen Stewart
Macklemore
Mahershala Ali
Margaret Cho
Mark Ruffalo
May Calamawy
Michael Malarkey
Michael Moore
Michael Stipe
Michelle Wolf
Miguel
Mo Amer
Oscar Isaac
Quinta Brunson
Ramy Youssef
Riz Ahmed
Rooney Mara
Rosario Dawson
Ryan Coogler
Sandra Oh
Sebastian Silva
Shailene Woodley
Shaka King
Simi Haze
Susan Sarandon
Vic Mensa
Wallace Shawn
Wanda Sykes
Yara Shahidi
