Prominent Hollywood celebrities teamed up together in a bid to urgently call for ceasefire in Gaza and Israel in an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden.
The signatories include big names such as Joaquin Phoenix, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac, Susan Sarandon, Mahershala Ali, Riz Ahmed, Ramy Youssef Quinta Brunson, Jessica Chastain, Cate Blanchett, Hasan Minhaj, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Strong, among many others.
The 55 prominent artists and advocates in the entertainment industry have signed an open letter requesting an end to the “devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors.”
In the letter they noted that “more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days – resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes.”
They “urged” Biden’s 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.”
The letter comes amid ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict which became aggressive after October 7. This week, al-Ahli Arab Hospital was bombed which claimed the lives of more than 470 people, leading to the deaths of more than 4000 Gazans.
According to United Nations reports, approximately 70% of all the dead and wounded are women and children, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the violence on the most vulnerable members of the population.