Los Angeles [US] : The Israeli air campaign in Gaza has been criticised by actress Angelina Jolie as “the deliberate bombing of a trapped population” and “murder.”
She took to her Instagram handle and wrote, “This is the deliberate bombing of a trapped population who have nowhere to flee. Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave. Forty per cent of those killed are innocent children. Whole families are being murdered. While the world watches and with the active support of many governments, millions of Palestinian civilians – children, women, families – are being collectively punished and dehumanized, all while being deprived food, medicine and humanitarian aid against international law. By refusing to demand a humanitarian ceasefire and blocking the UN Security Council from imposing one on both parties, world leaders are complicit in these crimes.”
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties, The Times of Israel reported.
Over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. More than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made it clear that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire, drawing parallels to the United States’ position after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
He noted that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas. While addressing a press briefing, Netanyahu said, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities after the horrific attacks of October 7.”
“Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terror, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war. A war for a common future,” he added.
He called it a turning point for nations and said that it is time for everyone to decide if they are willing to fight for a future of hope and promise or surrender to tyranny and terror. He said that Israel has been at war since October 7.
Netanyahu said, “The horrors that Hamas perpetrated on October 7 remind us that we will not realize the promise of a better future unless we, the civilized world, are willing to fight the barbarians because the barbarians are ready to fight us and their goal is clear, shatter that promise and future, destroy all that we cherish and usher in a world of fear and darkness.”
