Some positive news now, with a deluge of Hollywood A-listers signing on to the #NoHostageLeftBehind campaign, which encourages no rest until all hostages held by Hamas are free.
The letter is devoid of any both-sidesing or calls for a ceasefire and is a strong show of support for the Jewish state, while placing the blame on the predicament of the Gazans’ situation squarely on Hamas.
Dear President Biden,
We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity.
But our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered – women raped, families burned alive, and infants beheaded.
Thank you for your unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorized by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for the last 17 years that the group has been governing Gaza.
We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages.
We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released. No hostage can be left behind. Whether American, Argentinian, Australian, Azerbaijani, Brazilian, British, Canadian, Chilean, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Eritrean, Filipino, French, German, Indian, Israeli, Italian, Kazakh, Mexican, Panamanian, Paraguayan, Peruvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, South African, Spanish, Sri Lankan, Thai, Ukrainian, Uzbekistani or otherwise, we need to bring them home.
Sincerely,
Adam & Jackie Sandler
Amy Schumer
Aaron Sorkin
Barry Diller
Behati Prinsloo
Bella Thorne
Ben Stiller
Bob Odenkirk
Bobbi Brown
Bradley Cooper
Brett Gelman
Chris Rock
Constance Wu
Courteney Cox
David Alan Grier
David Chang
David Geffen
David Oyelowo
Diane Von Furstenberg
Eli Roth
Emma Seligman
Eric Andre
Ewan McGregor
Gal Gadot
Gwyneth Paltrow
Harvey Keitel
Isla Fisher
Jack Black
James Brolin
Jason Blum
Jason Sudeikis
Jeff Goldblum
Jerry Seinfeld
Jesse Plemons
Jessica Biel
Jessica Seinfeld
Joey King
John Slattery
Jon Hamm
Jordan Peele
Josh Brolin
Judd Apatow
Judge Judy Sheindlin
Julia Garner
Julianna Margulies
Julie Rudd
Justin Theroux
Justin Timberlake
Karlie Kloss
Katy Perry
Kirsten Dunst
Lana Del Rey
Laura Dern
Liev Schreiber
Madonna
Martin Short
Michelle Williams
Mila Kunis
Nicola Peltz
Noa Tishby
Olivia Wilde
Orlando Bloom
Paul & Julie Rudd
Richard Jenkins
Rita Ora
Ross Duffer
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sam Levinson
Sarah Paulson
Sean Combs
Shira Haas
Sting & Trudie Styler
Taika Waititi
Thomas Kail
Tiffany Haddish
Tyler Perry
Will Ferrell
Andy Cohen
Alex Edelman
Amy Sherman Palladino
Aubrey Plaza
Barry Levinson
Billy Crystal
Brad Falchuk
Brian Grazer
Bridget Everett
Brooke Shields
Chelsea Handler
Chloe Fineman
Chris Jericho
Colleen Camp
David Schwimmer
Dawn Porter
Dean Cain
Debra Messing
Elisabeth Shue
Erin Foster
Eugene Levy
Gene Stupinski
Gina Gershon
Guy Oseary
Henry Winkler
Holland Taylor
James Corden
Jason Reitman
Jessica Elbaum
Jimmy Carr
Jonathan Ross
Josh Charles
Juliette Lewis
Kristen Schaal
Kristin Chenoweth
Lea Michele
Mark Foster
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Matthew Weiner
Michael Rappaport
Molly Shannon
Noah Schnapp
Pattie LuPone
Regina Spektor
Sara Foster
Sarah Cooper
Scott Braun
Seth Meyers
Sharon Stone
Zack Snyder
Zoey Deutch
Zosia Mamet
Zoe Saldana
Alex Aja
Aaron Bay-Schuck
Amy Chozick
Aron Coleite
Adam Goodman
Alan Grubman
Adam Levine
Allan Loeb
Amy Pascal
Angela Robinson
Antonio Campos
Anthony Russo
Alexandra Shiva
Andrew Singer
Alison Statter
Alona Tal
Ali Wentworth
Ari Dayan
Ari Greenburg
Arik Kneller
Ashley Levinson
Asif Satchu
Barbara Hershey
Barry Rosenstein
Beau Flynn
Ben Turner
Ben Winston
Ben Younger
Blair Kohan
Bobby Kotick
Brad Slater
Bradley Fischer
Bruna Papandrea
Cameron Curtis
Casey Neistat
Cazzie David
Charles Roven
Chris Fischer
Christian Carino
Cindi Berger
Claire Coffee
Craig Silverstein
Dan Aloni
Dan Rosenweig
Dana Goldberg
Dana Klein
Danny Strong
Daniel Palladino
Danielle Bernstein
Danny Cohen
Daphne Kastner
David Bernad
David Baddiel
David Ellison
David Gilmour & Polly Sampson
David Goodman
David Joseph
David Kohan
David Lowery
Deborah Lee Furness
Deborah Snyder
Donny Deutsch
Doug Liman
Douglas Chabbott
Eddy Kitsis
Edgar Ramirez
Elizabeth Himelstein
Embeth Davidtz
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Erik Feig
Evan Jonigkeit
Evan Winiker
Francis Benhamou
Francis Lawrence
Fred Raskin
Gabe Turner
Gail Berman
Gary Barber
Genevieve Angelson
Gideon Raff
Grant Singer
Greg Berlanti
Guy Nattiv
Hannah Fidell
Hannah Graf
Harlan Coben
Harold Brown
Henrietta Conrad
Howard Gordon
Iain Morris
Imran Ahmed
Inbar Lavi
Jackie Sandler
Jake Graf
Jake Kasdan
Jamie Ray Newman
Jaron Varsano
Jason Fuchs
Jason Biggs & Jenny Mollen Biggs
Jason Segel
JD Lifshitz
Jeff Rake
Jen Joel
Jeremy Piven
Jesse Itzler
Jesse Sisgold
Jill Littman
Jody Gerson
Joe Hipps
Joe Quinn
Joe Russo
Joe Tippett
Joel Fields
John Landgraf
Jon Bernthal
Jon Glickman
Jon Liebman
Jonathan Baruch
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Tropper
Jonathan Marc Sherman
Jonathan Steinberg
Jonathan Tisch
Josh Goldstine
Josh Greenstein
Josh Grode
Julia Lester
Julie Greenwald
Karen Pollock
Kelley Lynch
Kevin Kane
Kevin Zegers
Kitao Sakurai
KJ Steinberg
Laura Pradelska
Lauren Schuker Blum
Laurence Mark
Laurie David
Lee Eisenberg
Leslie Siebert
Leo Pearlman
Limor Gott
Lina Esco
Liz Garbus
Lizanne Rosenstein
Lizzie Tisch
Lorraine Schwartz
Lynn Harris
Lyor Cohen
Mandana Dayani
Maria Dizzia
Mara Buxbaum
Marc Webb
Marco Perego
Mark Feuerstein
Mark Shedletsky
Mark Scheinberg
Mathew Rosengart
Matt Lucas
Matt Miller
Matthew Bronfman
Matthew Hiltzik
Matti Leshem
Dame Maureen Lipman
Max Mutchnik
Maya Lasry
Meaghan Oppenheimer
Melissa Zukerman
Michael Ellenberg
Michael Aloni
Michael Green
Michael Rapino
Michael Weber
Mike Medavoy
Mimi Leder
Modi Wiczyk
Nancy Josephson
Natasha Leggero
Neil Blair
Neil Druckmann
Nicole Avant
Nina Jacobson
Noa Kirel
Noah Oppenheim
Noreena Hertz
Odeya Rush
Oran Zegman
Pasha Kovalev
Paul Haas
Paul Pflug
Peter Traugott
Rachel Riley
Rafi Marmor
Ram Bergman
Raphael Margulies
Rebecca Angelo
Rebecca Mall
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Rich Statter
Richard Kind
Rick Hoffman
Rick Rosen
Robert Newman
Rob Rinder
Roger Birnbaum
Roger Green
Rosie O’Donnell
Ryan Feldman
Sam Trammell
Sarah Baker
Sarah Bremner
Sarah Treem
Scott Tenley
Seth Oster
Scott Braun
Scott Neustadter
Shannon Watts
Shari Redstone
Sharon Jackson
Shauna Perlman
Shawn Levy
Sheila Nevins
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Simon Tikhman
Skylar Astin
Stacey Snider
Stephen Fry
Steve Agee
Steve Rifkind
Susanna Felleman
Susie Arons
Todd Lieberman
Todd Moscowitz
Todd Waldman
Tom Freston
Tom Werner
Tomer Capone
Tracy Ann Oberman
Trudie Styler
Tyler James Williams
Vanessa Bayer
Veronica Grazer
Veronica Smiley
Whitney Wolfe Herd
Will Graham
Yamanieka Saunders
Yariv Milchan
Ynon Kreiz
Variety refers to this as “a dizzying amount” of A-listers (378 to be exact) and – much to my satisfaction – it includes Roger Waters’ ex-Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour (with his wife Polly Samson), who seems to be seeing the light (perhaps following yours truly on Twitter has helped a little bit. Or not).
It is also a way more impressive list than the list of 80 celebs calling for a ceasefire, and which focuses on Israel’s actions in Gaza:
Dear POTUS,
We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.
We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 4,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.
We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To Echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days – resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes.
“Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.” – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder
Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed.
We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.”
Sincerely,
Alia Shawkat
Alyssa Milano
Amanda Seales
Amber Tamblyn
America Ferrera
Andrew Garfield
Ani DiFranco
Anoushka Shankar
Aria Mia Loberti
Ayo Edebiri
Bassam Tariq
Bassem Youssef
Belly
Bonnie Wright
Caroline Polachek
Cate Blanchett
Channing Tatum
Cherien Dabis
Darius Marder
David Cross
David Oyelowo
Dev Hynes
Diplo
Dominique Fishback
Dominique Thorne
Dua Lipa
Elvira Lind
Elyanna
Farah Bsaiso
Fatima Farheen Mirza
Florence Pugh
Hasan Minhaj
Hend Sabry
Ilana Glazer
Indya Moore
James Schamus
Jeremy Strong
Jessica Chastain
Jessie Buckley
Joaquin Phoenix
Jon Stewart
Kehlani
Kristen Stewart
Macklemore
Mahershala Ali
Margaret Cho
Mark Ruffalo
May Calamawy
Michael Malarkey
Michael Moore
Michael Shannon
Michael Stipe
Michelle Wolf
Miguel
Mo Amer
Natalie Merchant
Oscar Isaac
Quinta Brunson
Rachel Sennott
Ramy Youssef
Ravena Aurora
Riz Ahmed
Rooney Mara
Rosario Dawson
Rowan Blanchard
Ryan Coogler
Sandra Oh
Sebastian Silva
Shailene Woodley
Shaka King
Simi Haze
Stephanie Suganami
Susan Sarandon
Taylour Paige
Tommy Genesis
Vic Mensa
Victoria Monét
Wallace Shawn
Wanda Sykes
Yara Shahidi
A look at the names on this list and we see some notorious Israel-haters like Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, and Michael Moore, but really no celebrities of note or A-list status.
The pro-Israel list is also way more impressive than those who signed on to an even more anti-Israel letter:
“We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians. In the words of the UN’s undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, ‘the spectre of death’ is hanging over the territory.
Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale. Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defence as “human animals”, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done.
Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them. There will come a time when they are held to account for their complicity. But for now, while condemning every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them, our obligation is to do all we can to bring an end to the unprecedented cruelty being inflicted on Gaza.
We support the global movement against the destruction of Gaza and the mass displacement of the Palestinian people. We demand that our governments end their military and political support for Israel’s actions.
We call for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered.”
True, close to 4,000 have signed on, but they are for the most part Z-listers and no-namers. And one of the more well-known actors who signed – Sam Heughan of Outlander – claims he misunderstood what it was about!
