A-list celebrities including Madonna and Natalie Portman have joined Ivanka Trump in throwing support behind the state of Israel as the country deals with the most devastating terror attack in its history.
The statements of support come as more than 700 people have been killed in Israel since the atrocity began over the weekend. “Love and prayers to the people of Israel,” Ivanka, who converted to Judaism when she married her husband, Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew, in 2009, wrote in a post on her Instagram story.
‘What is happening in Israel is devastating. To see all these families and especially children being chased, assaulted and killed in the streets is Heartbreaking. Imagine if that happened to you?? It’s unfathomable,” Madonna wrote in a post alongside a video showing the timeline of the recent terrorist attacks.
‘Conflicts can never be resolved by force. Unfortunately, humanity does not understand this Universal truth. My heart goes out to Israel. To families and homes that were destroyed. To children who are lost. To innocent victims who were killed. Let us all Pray. For Israel. For Peace,’ added the legendary singer.
Israeli-born Oscar winner Natalie Portman wrote that her ‘heart is broken for the people of Israel’.
In March 2023, Ivanka posted a photo of herself deep in prayer with her forehead and hand resting on the women’s section of the wall.
‘Children, women and the elderly were killed and kidnapped from their own homes. I am horrified by these barbaric acts and my heart beats with love and prayer for the families of all those affected,” added Portman, who disabled comments on her post.
Fellow resident of Israel, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot posted the same timeline video as Madonna and also wrote in a separate post: ‘I stand with Israel, you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these terrible acts of terror occur!’
Meanwhile, Star Wars star and liberal commentator Mark Hamill tweeted a photo of an American flag next to an Israeli flag alongside the words: ‘America stands with Israel.’
Outspoken comedian Amy Schumer posted: ‘Jewish people are the only group not allowed to defend themselves. It has nothing to do with the occupation. Hamas does not want an end to occupation, They want to exterminate Israel. They are financed by Iran, which is trying to destroy the peace agreement.
Scream star Liev Schreiber wrote on social media: ‘We stand with the people of Israel and the IDF in their fight against Hamas and other terrorist groups. We hope this war ends as soon as possible, for the sake of peace.’
Actress Isla Fisher, who converted to Judaism in 2007 just before her marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen, posted: ‘There is no excuse for the deliberate killing and kidnapping of innocent civilians anytime, anywhere.’
Fisher also posted an image of Israeli citizens Doron Asher and her daughters, believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas in southern Israel.
Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot wrote on Instagram: ‘I stand with Israel and you should too’
The Israeli government formally declared war on Monday and gave the green light for “significant military action” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, while the army worked until Monday to crush fighters still in southern towns and its bombardment of the Gaza Strip tightens. .
The toll left 1,100 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.
More than 40 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion from Gaza, Israeli forces were still struggling with militants trapped in various locations.
At least 700 people are believed to have died in Israel – a staggering toll on a scale not seen in decades – and more than 400 in Gaza.
Israel said it had brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four Israeli sites from Hamas fighters, including two kibbutzim that militants entered earlier in their attacks.
Footage released by Israeli police from one area showed forces kneeling in tall grass as they exchanged fire with Hamas militants across an open field.
The declaration of war predicted greater fighting, and a big question was whether Israel would launch a ground offensive in Gaza, a move that has seen heightened casualties in the past.
More than 40 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion from Gaza, Israeli forces were still struggling against militants holed up in various locations.
Meanwhile, Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group claimed to have captured more than 130 people from inside Israel and brought them to Gaza, saying they would be exchanged for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The announcement, although unconfirmed, was the first sign of the scale of kidnappings.
The prisoners are known to include soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults – mostly Israelis, but also some people of other nationalities. The Israeli army said only that the number of prisoners was “substantial”.
The Israeli military estimated that 1,000 Hamas fighters took part in Saturday’s initial incursion.
The high figure underlined the extent of planning by the militant group that rules Gaza, which said it launched the attack in response to increasing Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza.