New York (Web Desk): Celebrities around the world have shown their support for Israel and many have raised voices for the lives lost on "both sides", but many celebrities including Pakistani and Indians have come forward, despite pressure, in support of Palestine and raised Palestinian cause on their social media platforms.
While international brands and media have been supporting and donating to Israeli Army, a lot of celebrities have raised their voice for Palestinians despite pressure from within showbiz industry, while many of them are Muslims like Riz Ahmed or with Palestinian origin like Gigi Hadid, few American and British celebrities also took on social media to show their support for Palestine.
Renowned Palestinian American model Gigi Hadid has shared a statement on the conflict on Instagram.
Her statement was later criticized by official state accounts of Israel on Twitter and Instagram.
American Actor Mark Ruffalo, best known for his portrayal of Hulk in Marvel films, took to social media once again to show his support, he has always been a rare pro-Palestine voice among Hollywood celebrities. Mark on X said,
Swedish singer Zara Larsson has also shared a take on the conflict. Posting a photo of herself on her Instagram Story, Larsson added the caption: "Oh so it's stand with Ukraine when Russia invades but not Palesti-."
Oscar-winning actor Pakistani origin British actor Riz Ahmed posted his statement on Instagram and twitter, calling for “an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilians” amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Egyptian professional footballer Mohamed Elneny, known for his role as a midfielder in Arsenal and the Egypt national team, showed his support by changing his display picture of Instagram account as Al-Aqsa mosque picture.
Many Muslim footballers, in European clubs, like Hakim Ziyech, Zakaria Abokhalal, Riyad Mahrez, Karim Benzema, despite pressure from their clubs expressed their support for Gaza and later face criticism.
Many Pakistani Celebrities including Saba Qamar Zaman, Ushna Shah, Armeena Rana Khan and Osman Khalid Butt, have shown their support for Palestine on their social media platforms and in other ways, Pakistani social media is full of support to Palestinians in Gaza.
Renowned Pakistani actor Mahira Khan shared a post on X (formerly known as twitter), showing her support with a picture of a child against the backdrop of bombing and bloodshed in Palestine.
Similarly, Indian Actress Sonam Kapoor, despite her home country's neutral stance and many Indians being vocally supporting Israel, came forward on Instagram sharing Gigi' s post, supporting Palestine. She also shared a photo with a a quote from a New York Times, condemning the one-sided apathy towards Palestinian children. “If we owe a moral responsibility to Israeli children, we owe the same moral responsibility to Palestinian children. Their lives have equal weight. If you care about human life only in Israel or Gaza, then you don’t actually care about human life.”