Priyanka Chopra recently shared her stand on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and appealed for a ‘lasting humanitarian ceasefire for children’ in Palestine. Priyanka took to her Instagram account and re-shared a post which called for a ceasefire in Palestine as thousands of children have been seriously injured or killed due to Israel bombing the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack. Israel has been bombing places in Gaza which has led to displacement and chaos amongst the people there.
On Monday, Priyanka took to her Instagram stories and re-shared a post that UNICEF originally shared. UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children in over 190 countries and territories around the globe. The post contained a quote by UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, that said, “Children need a lasting humanitarian ceasefire.” The original post also carried a caption which highlighted the dreadful nature of the situation in Gaza. The organization wrote that the Gaza Strip is once again the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. And after seven days of respite from horrific violence, fighting has resumed. It expressed concern about how this would lead to the death of many more children.
Further in the post, it added, “Before the pause, more than 5,300 Palestinian children were reportedly killed in 48 days of relentless bombing – a figure that does not include many children still missing and presumed to be buried under rubble.”
Meanwhile, earlier this year in November, Priyanka along with several Hollywood celebrities including Richard Gere, Hasan Minhaj, Gigi and Bella Hadid signed an open letter to US President Joe Biden and the US Congress urging for de-escalation and a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel after the death of several Palestinians and Israelis. Ever since the Israel–Hamas conflict started in October of this year, celebrities have been facing backlash for their stances whether in support of Israel or Palestine. Many have also been removed from brand deals for showing support for Palestine.
The Israel-Gaza conflict started earlier this year on October 7 after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages. Israel then launched a counter-attack on the Gaza Strip which is still going on. On November 24, Israel and Hamas agreed on a temporary truce for six days but was later extended to the seventh day. In the period of truce, 210 Palestinian prisoners had been released in exchange for the liberation of 70 Israeli hostages. Additionally, approximately 30 foreign individuals, predominantly Thai residents in Israel, have been freed outside the stipulations of the agreement. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has called on the UN Security Council to advocate for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza. He emphasized the potential collapse of the humanitarian system and the risk of a complete breakdown in public order if swift action is not taken.
