Gal Gadot, Amy Schumer and Jerry Seinfeld among more than 700 entertainment leaders voicing support for Israel in open letter
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — More than 700 entertainment industry professionals have signed an open letter voicing their support for Israel and condemning Hamas as fighting continues in the Middle East.
Gal Gadot, Amy Schumer, Mayim Bialik and Jerry Seinfeld were among those who signed the letter that was released on Thursday by nonprofit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace.
Chris Pine, Liev Schreiber, Debra Messing and Mark Hamill were also among the signatories.
The letter calls on leaders of the entertainment industry to “speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”
“This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions,” the letter continued.
Israel has reported at least 1,200 people were killed and thousands more injured in Hamas’ attacks over the weekend. Hamas is also holding as many as 150 people hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
At least 1,537 people — including 500 children and 267 women — have been killed since Israel started strikes on Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack last Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. An additional 6,612 people have sustained injuries, the ministry added.
The letter also included a warning urging public figures in the entertainment industry to “to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war,” and to avoid amplifying any “propaganda.”
“Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace,” the letter concluded.
You can read the full open letter here.
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CNN’s Abeer Salman contributed to this report.
