Angelina Jolie joins many in calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Jolie, 48, shared a statement on Instagram on Sunday in which she mentioned her long-standing work with the United Nations to support refugees and said she is “focused on people displaced by violence in any context.”
“Like millions around the world, I have spent the last few weeks sickened and angry by the terrorist attack in Israel, the deaths of so many innocent civilians, and wondering how best to help,” the actress and humanitarian wrote in her statement. “And I also pray for the immediate, safe return of each hostage and for the families who bear the unimaginable pain of the murder of a loved one. Above all, children have been killed, and many children are now orphans.”
“What happened in Israel was an act of terrorism,” she continued. “But that cannot justify the innocent lives lost in the bombing of the civilian population in Gaza who have nowhere to go, no access to food or water, no possibility of evacuation, or even the basic human right to cross the border and seek refuge.”
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As Jolie noted in her post, the Gaza Strip has an estimated population of 2.2 million people, nearly half (47.3%) of whom are children, according to NPR. The actor also noted that the population of Gaza has been living under an Israeli military blockade since 2007, which the United Nations Children’s Fund said was “virtually isolated” by 2022[ed] The Gaza Strip from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory and the world.”
“The few aid trucks coming in are a fraction of what is needed (and were delivered daily before the current conflict), and the bombings are creating desperate new humanitarian needs every day,” Jolie said of Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. attack on Israel, which resulted in thousands of casualties and hundreds of people taken hostage in Gaza.
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Withholding aid, fuel and water is a collective punishment of the people, she continued. “Humanity demands an immediate ceasefire. The lives of Palestinians and Israelis – and the lives of all people globally – are equally important.”
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Angelina Jolie June 28, 2023
Gotham/GC images
“Everything that can be done to prevent civilian casualties and save lives must be done,” Jolie added, noting that she was following MSF’s reporting and statements about the war.
At the end of the statement, the actress urged her followers to read a statement issued by Doctors Without Borders on Saturday calling for an “immediate ceasefire to prevent further deaths in Gaza and allow desperately needed humanitarian supplies”.
“Actions by world leaders are too weak, too slow, as the non-binding UN resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire has done nothing to rein in the indiscriminate violence unleashed on defenseless people,” the organization said. “The international community must take stronger measures to encourage Israel to stop the bloodshed.”
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Source: HIS Education