Celebrities who have spoken out against Israel's Rafah offensive (2024)

A host of celebrities have spoken out following Israel's recent strikes on Rafah amid the country's ongoing war with Hamas.

On October 7, 2023, militant group Hamas launched an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage. Israel has since launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the months since, according to The Associated Press, citing the Gaza Ministry of Health.

An Israeli airstrike on Monday hit several people in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, a city located near a border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, killing at least 45, The Associated Press has reported.

On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague issued several directives to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the situation in Rafah, saying it was "not convinced" that Israel was doing enough to evacuate Palestinian civilians from the city.

The ICJ specifically ordered Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to allow large-scale humanitarian aid, grant access to Gaza for investigators and fact-finding missions and provide a progress report to the court within a month on implementing these measures.

Israel's offensive has sparked global concerns about the number of civilians who have been killed. The Rafah strikes have increased widespread condemnation of Israel's strikes, as conditions continue to worsen for Palestinians not involved in the conflict.

Newsweek has compiled a list of some of the many celebrities who have publicly spoken out in condemnation of the Rafah strikes.

Bella Hadid

Model Bella Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, on Tuesday took to Instagram to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians while also showing pride in her heritage.

"Palestine on my mind, in my blood and on my heart. Always," Hadid wrote alongside photos that showed her in a keffiyeh dress. "While I still have to go to work, even through this horror, to wear our culture makes me a proud Palestinian & I want the world to continue to see Palestine, wherever we go."

"If you don't know what's happening right now in Gaza, watch my stories (and find other accounts leading to Palestinians on the ground) and please educate yourself on the on going occupation and genocide that is happening RIGHT NOW in Gaza," she noted. "Do not be desensitized to the horror that is being endured by the Palestinian people."

As she proceeded to "show you about a beautiful part of our culture," Hadid wrote about what her attire represented, writing: "The patterns on the Palestinian keffiyeh symbolize various themes: Olive leaves: Strength, resilience, perseverance.

"Fishnet: The larger part of the of the keffiyeh is the fishnet pattern which resembles the fishnet, and the relationship between the Palestinian fisherman and the sea. It symbolizes abundance and grace. To many of us the sea also means Freedom. Especially to Palestinians living in the West Bank, and have no access to the sea, due to restricted movement.

"Sea Waves: Resemble the strength, and resilience of our communities which persevered after 73 years under military occupation and oppression."

Hadid added that some posts on social media "wrote that the resemblance come from the olive leaves which is also an important symbol, but after a conversation with the Judeh Hirbawi from Hirbawi Factory in Hebron he said that it comes from sea waves.

"Bold: Represents the trade routes going through Palestine which played a vital role in carving the history and rich and diverse culture of our communities."

"With that being said .... ALL EYES ON RAFAH," Hadid concluded, adding a Palestinian flag.

Dua Lipa

British-born singer Dua Lipa, who has previously called for a ceasefire in the region, shared a post on Instagram in which she called for an end to "Israeli genocide."

"Burning children alive can never be justified," her post read. "The whole world is mobilizing to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza."

The post, which called for a "permanent ceasefire now," included the hashtags "#AllEyesOnRafah" and "#Artists4Ceasefire."

In a January interview with Rolling Stone, Lipa discussed how she felt compelled to speak out in support of Palestinians in the past, having been born in the U.K. to Kosovo Albanian parents who had fled their native region back in the 1990s.

"My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war," the star, who previously dated Hadid's brother Anwar Hadid, said. "I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it."

Susan Sarandon

Sharing a similar post to the Lipa's, actress Susan Sarandon circulated the message calling for a "permanent ceasefire now."

Sarandon, who has dedicated much of her social media feeds to show support for Palestinian people, shared a two-slide post that included stats attributed to The Associated Press.

Among the information was that "1.3 million people are sheltering in place in Rafah in Gaza," and that "600,00 of them are children."

"The attack on Rafah must stop," the message concluded.

John Legend

In a collaborative post with charity Save the Children, musician John Legend shared a video that showed conditions in the war-torn region.

The video stated that a host of vital resources, including food, water, medicine and fuel, were in short supply for Palestinians. "Children need a #ceasefire now," the video concluded.

Captioning the footage, Legend wrote: "Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Children are being killed at a devastating rate, whole families are being wiped out. The worst-case scenario is becoming a reality. Children and their families need more than words, they need action."

"As a family, we've donated to @SavetheChildren and we're joining them in calling for a definitive ceasefire now," the star continued. "There is no alternative. It is the only way to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensure the release of all remaining hostages."

Jenna Ortega

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has dedicated her Instagram Story feed to a series of posts condemning the Rafah strike and highlighting the human impact of the war.

In a post of her own on Tuesday, Ortega shared a photo that showed a Palestinian family sitting together in a flower-filled field in happier times. The image was geotagged with Rafah as the location.

"Masses debating over a ceasefire while thousands upon thousands of children continue being slaughtered," Ortega wrote. "Where is the humanity."

Mark Ruffalo

Avengers star Mark Ruffalo, who has spoken out against Israel's military action in the region over a number of years, shared a link on social media on the day of the Rafah strike.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the Hollywood actor shared a headline from The Guardian that stated the United Nations' "top court orders Israel to immediately halt Rafah offensive."

Sharing another link in support of calling for a ceasefire, Ruffalo wrote: "This is a ceasefire. #Artists4Ceasefire artists4ceasefire.org. Do not wait until it's too late."

Halsey

Singer Halsey shared an Instagram Story post condemning the ongoing military action, particularly from a humanitarian perspective.

"Children being massacred, hospitals being attacked, babies, women, children, men," she wrote. "Innocent civilians slain in the name of war. I can't take this anymore.

"As the mother of a small child, but primarily a human being, I can't imagine a world where we move forward without the explicit demand for a ceasefire in the nation of Palestine. Please God."

Halsey also shared another post attributed to Jewish Voice for Peace, showing that the "Israeli government's genocide can be seen from space."

The image showed comparative images of Gaza in 2023 and 2024, with the latter showing significantly less light than the year before.

Alyssa Milano

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano reacted to the strike by sharing a post on Instagram that showed a statement from UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell.

"Images of burned children and families emerging from bombed tents in Rafah shocks us all," read the post. "The reported killing of children sheltering in makeshift tents in unconscionable.

"For over seven months, we've witnessed this tragedy unfold, resulting in thousands of children killed or injured.

"There must be an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and an end to the senseless killing of children."

Milano also shared Legend's post about the conditions in the region.

Marcia Cross

Desperate Housewives star Marica Cross has dedicated much of her space on X to sharing others' posts about the strike.

She shared a post from author Jason Overstreet, who criticized former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden in response to the White House stating that it was unaware of tanks in central Rafah.

"I remember when Trump was president and I would wake up every morning and lose my mind because these bizarre people were constantly giving press briefings and lying to my face in such a brazenly cartoonish fashion. As if we were all literally blind. But it continues under Biden," read the post.

Cross has also shared posts on the conflict on her Instagram feed.

Guy Pearce

Memento star Guy Pearce criticized Netanyahu and said he "must be stopped" as he called for a ceasefire.

"Palestinians are being murdered as we speak," the Australian-born actor wrote on X. "Displaced, traumatized, ruined. The lives and futures of Palestinian children are being eradicated by a vengeful tyrant.

"He MUST be stopped. This MUST stop. SHAME on you Netanyahu."

Pearce rounded out the post with the hashtags "#CeaseFire" and "#FreePalestine," along with a Palestinian flag emoji.

Piers Morgan

British TV personality Piers Morgan also took aim at Netanyahu over Israel's "indefensible" strikes on Rafah.

Former CNN host Morgan raised concerns about Israel's latest strikes on Gaza in a post to X on Monday morning.

"The scenes from Rafah overnight are horrific. I've defended Israel's right to defend itself after Oct 7, but slaughtering so many innocent people as they cower in a refugee camp is indefensible. Stop this now @netanyahu," Morgan posted.

Defending his position, Morgan further stated that he has "absolute moral clarity. Dropping massive bombs on refugee camps full of innocent women and children is morally repugnant."

In a separate post, Morgan wrote: "When the IRA were murdering people in England, we didn't drop 2000lb bombs on Belfast because the terrorists were living among civilians."

Morgan also weighed in when Axios political reporter Barak Ravid stated in an X post that Netanyahu "says the air strike in Rafah on Sunday was 'a tragic mistake.'"

"A mistake?" Morgan responded. "No it wasn't, he repeatedly said he'd attack Rafah and he did."