Entertainment Industry Giants Sign Letter Asking for Ceasefire Between Israel-Hamas Conflict in Gaza

Entertainment industry giants have come together to sign a letter asking US president Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza last Monday.

Some of the biggest names in both the movie and music industry lent their signatures in support of a hold in the violence in the Middle East.

Artists who have enjoyed billion-dollar streams for their music that supported peace in Palestine include Drake, Dua Lipa, Run the Jewels, Macklemore, Kaytranda, Michael Stipe, Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert.

Meanwhile, Hollywood A-listers that joined in signing the letter include Joaquin Phoenix, Cate Blanchett, John Cusack, Mark Ruffalo, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Ben Affleck, and Bella and Gigi Hadid.

The letter, posted on Artists 4 Ceasefire, pleaded with both the US president and the US Congress to encourage Israel to conduct the siege in Palestine, which was sent to their respective offices last week.

Contents of the letter

Written in the letter was an urgent request to prevent even more violence from unfolding in Gaza. As of the letter's writing, at least 6,000 people have died during the three-week siege of Israel in Gaza. As of this article's writing, the casualties have increased to 8,000 people.

The letter stressed that the US had a pivotal role in brokering peace between the historical enemies. The letter reads that both the Office of the President and the Congress "call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost".

The letter also calls the US government bodies to create a path for aid to reach the survivors, victims and hostages caught in the conflict which started on October 7.

The letter asked that all parties "honour all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages" and that "humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them".

The letter also recognises both national government bodies to arrange logistics between organisations that could potentially help sustain life in Gaza. It read: "US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative."

The artists also wished to extend their sympathy and condolences to the affected families in the Middle East. The letter said: "Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity".

The artists would like their audience to know that they "refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing".

Other letters from the industry

While the letter from Artists 4 Ceasefire was the most recent statement from a collective of artists, the past few weeks have seen many reactions to the October 7 attacks.

A handful of members from the Writers Guild of America signed a letter calling out leaders of the guild for not voicing their support for Israel's siege of Gaza. Among its signatories included Jerry Seinfeld, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Josh Gad, Eli Roth and Ellen Rapaport.

The members who signed the letter said that it was uncharacteristic of the guild to stay silent during a major conflict that affected the world, adding that

The WGA leadership responded that the "leadership agreed to move away from public statements that did not directly involve our Guild, our industries or the Labor movement. Such statements hindered journalist members' work, and divided rather than united us."

The WGA is one of the major guilds in Hollywood that did not release a statement about the Israel offensive in Gaza.

During the siege's early days, the Hollywood elite voiced their support for Israel to defend itself from future attacks against Hamas by signing another letter.

This letter, posted on NoHostageLeftBehind, was signed by Hollywood industry movers such as Gal Gadot, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Rock and Taika Waititi.

The letter praised US President Joe Biden's "unshakable moral conviction" in support of the Jewish settler state.