United States - Al Sharqiya, October 21: Dozens of Hollywood actors and artists, including comedian Jon Stewart and Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, sent a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to press for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.
“We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to respect all lives in the Holy Land and to call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay - an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of the hostages,” these celebrities wrote to Biden.
They said in the letter, “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood idly by and did nothing. As UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told UN News, ‘History is watching’.”
Among the approximately 60 signatories of the letter were Susan Sarandon, Kristen Stewart, Quinta Brunson, Ramy Youssef, Riz Ahmed, Mahershala Ali and others.
“Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them (Gaza residents),” the letter said.
Biden said on Friday that he believes trucks loaded with aid will arrive in Gaza in the coming hours.
On Friday, Israel continued its violent bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a time when US President Joe Biden described the Hamas movement as seeking to “destroy a neighboring democracy,” while the Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath correspondent reported renewed missile bombardment on the settlements surrounding Gaza.
For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the toll of the Israeli attacks on Gaza had risen to about 4,137 dead and 13,300 injured. It also stated that it had received a report that the number of missing people under the rubble of destruction had risen to 1,400, including 720 children.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced a missile strike on the Israeli city of Ashdod in the south of the country. The Times of Israel reported today that sirens sounded in areas surrounding Gaza after 11 hours of stopping.
