Singer Dua Lipa condemns ‘Israeli genocide’ in Gaza
FRISCO, TEXAS – MAY 16: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. Dua Lipa poses in the press room during the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star on May 16, 2024 in Frisco, Texas. Omar Vega/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Omar Vega / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
British-Albanian pop singer Dua Lipa has denounced Israel’s offensive in Gaza as a “genocide,” following a wave of pro-Palestinian protest that took place in London that saw dozens of people arrested.
“Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilizing to stop the Israeli genocide,” the singer wrote on an Instagram story late Tuesday with the hashtag “#AllEyesOnRafah” which has been trending on social media.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza, concentrated now on Rafah, provoked a renewed backlash after Gaza officials said an Israeli strike this weekend set ablaze a crowded refugee camp, killing 45.
American-Chilean actor Pedro Pascal and supermodel Bella Hadid also posted graphics with “All eyes on Rafah” on Instagram. Hadid and sister, fellow supermodel Gigi Hadid, have been vocal about their support for Palestinian rights, owing to her Palestinian father, and have also called Israel’s offensive as a “genocide.”
In 2021, before the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict last October, Dua Lipa, and the Hadid sisters were described as anti-Semitic in an advertisement published in The New York Times by a Jewish group called the World Values Network.
Dua Lipa had hit back at the advert, rejecting the “false and appalling allegations”.
While the pop sensation of Kosovan heritage has criticized the war in Gaza and been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, this is her strongest criticism yet of Israel’s actions.
In January, Lipa called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. She had previously signed an open letter to US President Joe Biden calling for “an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of hostages”.
Forty people were arrested on Tuesday night in London following a pro-Palestinian demonstration of up to 10,000 people, UK police said.
Rock star Paul Weller, the rapper Stormzy and actor Tilda Swinton are among British celebrities who have previously called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. JE
