Hundreds of Hollywood celebrities have signed an open letter condemning the "barbaric acts" of Hamas militants who killed and abducted Israeli civilians in a weekend assault.
Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot, an Israeli, was among the film and TV stars on the list, which also included Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Michael Douglas, and Jerry Seinfeld.
"Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children. They kidnapped and murdered infants and the elderly," the open letter, released by Creative Community for Peace, said.
"This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas' actions," the letter went on.
"These are barbaric acts of terrorism that must be called out by everyone."
The letter, which was signed by over 700 people from the world of entertainment, came less than a week after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took about 150 hostages in a surprise onslaught launched from Gaza.
Israel has retaliated with air and artillery strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza for six days, claiming more than 1,400 lives.
The letter calls on people in the entertainment industry to throw their full support behind Israel.
It also asks colleagues to "do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families".
The letter concludes: "Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace."
The statement is the first large-scale reaction from the industry but follows a plethora of social media posts from individuals.
Source: AFP
