Angelina Jolie's Father Jon Voight At War with Penelope Cruz over Gaza

Hollywood legend Jon Voight has launched a scathing attack against Penelope Cruz for helping "incite anti-Semitism" by condemning Israel's part in the Gaza conflict.

The 75-year-old star, who is the father of Angelina Jolie, said he was angry that celebrities like Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem did not understand the damage they were doing by taking an anti-Israel stance.

He expressed his outrage after Cruz slammed Israel's actions in Gaza and called on the EU to help Palestine.

"Palestinians' homes are being destroyed, they are being denied water, electricity, free movement to their hospitals, schools and fields while the international community does nothing," the Spanish actress said in a letter urging the condemnation of bombing by land, sea and air against Palestinian civilians.

But in an open letter to Hollywood Reporter, Voight branded Cruz and other stars that signed the letter "ignorant".

"My name is Jon Voight and I am more than angry, I am heartsick that people like Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem could incite anti-Semitism all over the world and are oblivious to the damage they have caused," he wrote.

"After years of trying to make peace, the wars they had to fight, being attacked by their enemies, and still being attacked, and finally after years of running into bomb shelters and having hundreds of civilians killed by suicide bombers, civilians being killed in their sleep, stabbed to pieces, finding enough is enough and finally retaliating, instead of my peers sticking up for the only democratic country in that region, they go and take out poison letters against them.

"You should hang your heads in shame. You should all come forth with deep regrets for what you did, and ask forgiveness from the suffering people in Israel," he added.

Cruz and Voight are not the first stars to wade in on the Middle East conflict.

One Direction star Zayn Malik was bombarded with death threats when he tweeted '#FreePalestine', Rihanna also tweeted '#FreePalestine' before later deleting the post, and supermodel Bar Refaeli posted messages on both Twitter and Facebook in support of Israel.

Jolie, who is a UN Special Envoy for refugees, has not commented on the conflict.