Gal Gadot, Chris Rock, Sacha Baron Cohen and others praise President Biden for hostage releases

Los Angeles: Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have commended US President Joe Biden for his “unshakable moral conviction” and helping to get home some of the hostages taken by Hamas in their terror attack on Israel.

A letter to Biden posted on the website NoHostageLeftBehind has signatures from Amy Schumer, Bob Odenkirk, Gal Gadot, Chris Rock, Bradley Cooper, Madonna, Greg Berlanti, Constance Wu, Judd Apatow, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone, Taika Waititi, Olivia Wilde, Jason Blum, WME’s Ari Greenburg, Gersh’s Leslie Siebert, Zoe Saldana. Seth Meyers, Sean “Puffy” Combs and many more, reports Deadline.

The letter reads: “Thank you for your unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorised by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorised, oppressed, and victimised 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 (sic).”

Even with the release of Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz pm Monday, and mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan late last week, over 200 individuals, of many nationalities from children to the elderly who were abducted by Hamas during the October 7 terror attack remain captives.

As per Deadline, Biden has been unequivocal in his support of Israel and its right to defend itself since Hamas’ bloody surprise attack of October 7 that killed 1400 and left thousands more injured. Hamas has also been very public in its aims. As well as explicit videos posted on social media of the siege that took out towns, a music festival and military bases, Hamas also put out footage of women, seniors and even little kids being hauled off.

As airstrikes relentlessly hit Gaza, Israel has gathered around 300,000 troops and reservists on the border for a ground invasion expected at any moment.

With protests breaking out around the world over the humanitarian crisis as well as the attacks on Israel, it is estimated that thousands of Palestinians have been killed from Tel Aviv’s response.

–IANS