Pro-Palestinian social media users are criticizing celebrities Gal Gadot, Amy Schumer, and Noah Schnapp for their alleged silence regarding the release of over 100 hostages taken by Hamas.
These stars, all of whom were raised Jewish and publicly support Israel, have not commented on the recent release of hostages, which has led some people online to question their “silence.”The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 240 hostages.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “demolish Hamas” and initiated a ground offensive into Gaza after cutting off supplies of food, energy, fuel, and medicine.
According to recent reports, approximately 15,000 Gazans have been killed, many more have been injured, and around 1.7 million people have been displaced since then. After the news of the attacks broke, several celebrities expressed their concern for the hostages, including Israeli and foreign citizens.
While celebrities on both sides of the conflict, as well as those who have remained silent, have faced criticism on social media, Gal Gadot, Amy Schumer, and Noah Schnapp have become the center of controversy due to their remarks surrounding the conflict.
Toast, another user on the social network, wrote, “Why are you all so quiet? You had a lot to say before, so why the silence now?”Lola, another user, directly addressed the celebrities, asking, “Where are you?” In a TikTok video that has received over 444,000 views, user @mirna__abu questioned why Amy Schumer, Gal Gadot, and Noah Schnapp have not discussed the release of the hostages. Abu also referred to a widely circulated letter allegedly written by an Israeli hostage praising Hamas for its “extraordinary humanity.
However, she faced backlash for her alleged involvement in organizing a screening of Bearing Witness, a film released by the IDF that shows footage of Hamas’ attack on Israel. Schumer, who is also Jewish, has faced criticism for sharing a meme comparing Gazans to rapists and claiming that “Jewish people are the only group not allowed to defend themselves.”
However, approximately 137 people remain in captivity. Newsweek has reached out to Gadot, Schumer, and Schnapp for comment on the matter.