Oscar winners and other celebrities against the war in Gaza

From the Oscar ceremony to social media: more and more Hollywood celebrities call for a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent more innocent victims among its population in Israel's pursuit of Hamas. At the 2024 Oscars, they wore red pins to show their concern with the innocent victims.

In the picture, Oscar winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Jonathan Glazer, the director of the Oscars' Best International Feature, 'The Zone of Interest,' used his and the producers' acceptance speech to address Israel and Palestine. It was a risky move, media like Time magazine stated, because his words on a delicate topic in Hollywood could cost him future jobs.

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The winning International Feature Film is about a family whose house stands next to the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War. The family is living a happy life in an idyllic home as if no atrocities are being committed next door.

In several media, director Jonathan Glazer, himself a descendant of Jews fleeing persecution in Europe, has indicated that the film shows how easy it is to ignore the mass murder of people, even if you know about it, and continue with life as if all is perfect in the world.

The only way people can do that, Glazer explained in his Oscar acceptance speech, is by pretending the victims they see are not human beings like them. He said: "Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst."

Glazer continued to say that the phenomenon of dehumanization of other people has "shaped all of our past and present." With the film, he doesn't just want to tell a history lesson but refer to the present as well. "All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say, 'Look what they did then'; rather, 'what we do now.'"

Then, he moved on to what would become the most contested part of his speech. "Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people."

While Glazer's protest was the most talked about, there were many other movie stars at the Oscars showing their support for the innocent victims of the conflict by wearing red pins on their tuxedoes or dresses.

One of them was Mark Ruffalo, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the movie 'Poor Things.' Instead of showing off his suit or discussing his nominated role, he actively sought out cameras on the red carpet to talk about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

As he wrote on his X account, the civilian population of Gaza "are not 'collateral damage,' they are human beings who happen to have been born there and live there and most of those human beings are stuck there."

As he said on the red carpet and on the social media platform X: "Have some compassion, they are Palestinians not buildings or roads or things, they are human beings and so are the hostages whose lives you may also be destroying."

In the early phase of the Israel-Hamas war, 50 artists signed a statement calling for a ceasefire. It has grown to more than 100 signatures from Hollywood celebrities.

Artists from across the entertainment industry are using their influence and image to achieve what, for the moment, politics have not achieved: to stop the war in Gaza. Dua Lipa is one of the people who signed the statement.

The stars have sent their open letter to the president of the United States, Joe Biden. They have asked him to make a call to stop the war. Another signatory on the long list is Joaquin Phoenix.

Jennifer Lopez, John Cusack, Drake, Macklemore, and Adam Lambert,  among others, also joined the petition to Biden and the U.S. Congress. "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."

These are not B-artists. Many established and wealthy celebrities are committed to peace in the Gaza Strip. One of them is Florence Pugh.

Cate Blanchett, Rosario Dawson, Susan Sarandon, Riz Ahmed, America Ferrera, Alfonso Cuarón, Michael Stipe, Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Chastain are just some notable examples.

Susan Sarandon is known to be an activist for various social causes and has not been silent about the situation in Palestine, "You do not have to be Palestinian to care about what is happening in Gaza,” she wrote on her X account.

In their letter, the artists urge Joe Biden and world leaders to "honor all lives in the Holy Land, 'seeking' a ceasefire without delay."

In addition, they demand "an end to the bombings and the release of the hostages."

Recently engaged in Gaza activism, Cynthia Nixon spoke on 'The View' about her position on the issue, being a mother of children with holocaust-survivor grandparents. "What Hamas did was brutal and … unforgivable... But I don’t think we get to a better place with more civilian death, and that is why, in my belief, we need a permanent cease-fire. Right now."

On her Instagram account, Gigi showed her support for the Palestinian people "I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation."

"I didn't hear death to Israel, I didn't hear death to Jews, I didn't hear people celebrating the killing of Israeli civilians..." John Cusack wrote on his X account. "What I still heard is - we need to free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people worried about their loved ones in a hellish area, stranded without food, water, and electricity. Profound anxiety from people being told to leave and then being bombed when they do."

The statement has been distributed by the organization 'Artists 4 Ceasefire.' It also has UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder (in the image with the phone), on its list.

Elder has put the focus on the population of Gaza. He points out that the people in the crowded area are not only being bombed but that they are also trying to survive without water or electricity due to supply cuts carried out by Israel.

Everything indicates that artists will continue to join the enormous list of support for this ceasefire. It remains to be seen if their help bears fruit and helps in the conflict.

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