Madonna and Natalie Portman lead celebrity reactions to Israel-Hamas conflict

Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, triggering deadly violence on both sides of the Gaza strip

Madonna, Gal Gadot, Natalie Portman, and Mark Hamill are among the Hollywood celebrities reacting to the deadly conflict triggered by Palestinian group Hamas’s shock attack on Israel.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war one day after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israeli territory that left at least 700 civilians dead – the worst loss of Israeli lives in years. The death toll is still rising.

Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk said the group was holding at least 100 Israeli citizens and soldiers hostage, in a statement to the al-Ghad news outlet on Sunday (8 October), with fears growing for their safety. A second Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, said it was holding more than 30 hostages.

Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on cities in the Gaza strip have killed at least 493 people, with the death toll expected to rise as fighting continues.

Madonna said the situation in Israel is “devastating” in a statement posted on Instagram, adding that “conflicts can never be resolved with violence” and her heart “goes out to Israel”.

Alongside a graphic video from Israel, she wrote: “Watching all of these families and especially children being herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is Heartbreaking. Imagine if this was happening to you?? It’s Un-fathomable. Conflicts can never be resolved with violence. Unfortunately Humanity does not understand this Universal truth. Has Never Understood it.

“We live in a World Ravaged by Hate. My heart goes out to Israel. To Families and Homes that have been destroyed. To children who are lost. To Innocent Victims who have Been Killed. To All who are Suffering or who will suffer from this conflict.

“I’m Praying For you. I am aware that this is the work of Hamas and there are many innocent people in Palestine who do not support this terrorist organization. This Tragic attack will only cause more suffering for everyone. Let us all Pray. For Israel. For Peace. For The World [sic].”

Gadot, who served the two mandatory years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before launching her Hollywood career, shared several social media posts in support of Israel over the weekend.

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“I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!” she captioned one of her posts.

Several of her followers responded to Gadot’s message with comments pledging support for Palestine. For the last 50 years, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jersusalem and Gaza, has “resulted in systematic human rights violations against Palestinians living there,” Amnesty International documented.

Black Swan star Portman said, “My heart is pounding with love and prayer for the families of all affected,” in a statement shared to Instagram.

The full message read: “My heart is shattered for the people of Israel. Children, women and the elderly have been murdered and abducted from their own homes. I am in horror at these barbaric acts and my heart is pounding with love and prayer for the families of all affected.”

Jamie Lee Curtis posted a photograph of the Israeli flag on her Instagram feed but did not caption her post.

Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman reshared an Instagram post by attorney and activist Mandana Dayani, which said: “Never in my years as an activist, have I seen other activists, upon seeing footage of little girls being killed and dragged threough streets, immediately find the burning need to go on the internet and justify their deaths. ‘Oh, here [are] all the reasons that girl was burned alive!’

“For complete clarity, the only reason you do this, is because you have been made to believe that the killing of Jews can even be justified. Becaise every civilization has taught that the life of a Jew is less valuable than your own. It’s the Hitler playbook. Your antisemitism is not unconscious. It is so deeply rooted in your bones and you are so comfortable with it, you are not even able to consider its impact on your friends.”

The post divided Silverman’s followers, with several people criticising her for selective outrage as well as a lack of context of the bloody Israel-Palestinian conflict, while Schumer turned comments off on her own post.

One person wrote: “Sarah I hope you rethink this one. The death of any child is inexcusable, including the many Palestinians that have died under Jewish occupation. If every Israeli behavior is free of scrutiny then we have a much more serious problem.”

Silverman also shared a separate statement, writing that “this world breaks my f***ing heart”, on X.

New Girl actor Max Greenfield wrote on Instagram: “Unimaginable scene in Israel right now. As a Jew, I am with you. As a human, I am with you.”

Star Wars star Mark Hamill shared a picture of the American and Israeli flags on his social media accounts and captioned it: “America stands with Israel #ALWAYS”.

Mark Ruffalo quoted Jerusalem-based American author Nathan Thrall, in response to the “horror [that] is unfolding between the Israeli Government and Hamas today” on X.

“I received a note today from Nathan Thrall, journalist and author of A Day In The Life of Abed Salama that resonated deeply with me,” the Hulk actor wrote. “I wanted to share his words as we all watch in horror what is unfolding between the Israeli Government and Hamas today.

“It is horrific to see innocent civilians killed and held hostage, and there is no justification for it. We pray for their safety, as we pray for the safety of the innocent people of Gaza who are being bombarded and besieged.”