The severe hardships faced by the citizens of Rafah, a city in the Southern Gaza Strip, have prompted even the most reserved Indian celebrities to speak out in support of Palestine. Here is a list of prominent Bollywood figures who have voiced their concerns about the plight of Gaza and its citizens, who are being devastated by Israeli airstrikes.
On Tuesday (28), Alia Bhatt took to Instagram Stories to share a post: “All children deserve love. All children deserve safety. All children deserve peace. All children deserve life. And all mothers deserve to be able to give their children those things (red heart doodle).” Alia added the caption, “#AllEyesOnRafah.”
Alia’s sister-in-law, superstar Kareena Kapoor Khan, also supported Palestine. The Crew star reposted a message from UNICEF’s official Instagram account on her Stories. The post, featuring Executive Director Catherine Russell, condemned the tragic deaths of children and families in Rafah, calling the act “unconscionable.” Similarly, actor Varun Dhawan shared the “All Eyes on Rafah” image circulating on social media via his Instagram Stories, joining the protest against Israel’s recent attack.
Family Man star Samantha Ruth Prabhu also called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Her post read, “This (latest attack on Rafah) comes after the ICJ (International Court of Justice) ruled on Friday for Israel to ‘immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah. There are no words for this horror. There is nowhere safe to go. It must stop. Ceasefire now.”
Bollywood stars faced intense trolling for their pro-Palestine stance on X (formerly Twitter). The hashtag #BoycottBollywood trended on the platform.
Aside from actors, cricketer Rohit Sharma’s wife, Ritika Sajdeh, also made a post supporting Palestinians in Gaza. However, she faced severe trolling on X, with netizens criticizing her for not speaking out against the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley. The post was later deleted.
According to Reuters, survivors recounted that families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood. Thousands had sought refuge there after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in the eastern part of Rafah over two weeks ago.
In response to the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a “tragic mistake” had occurred. “Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night,” Netanyahu said on Monday in an address to Israel’s parliament, “there was a tragic mistake.
We investigate the incident and will conclude because this is our policy.” Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
