Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem warn Gaza 'ceasefire' has not stopped killings

A coalition of prominent artists, including Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, has urged the public to continue pressing for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, warning that Palestinians remain exposed to daily violence, displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid.

In a new statement issued on Wednesday, Artists4Ceasefire said there was "no ceasefire in Gaza", arguing that the announcement of a truce had not ended the devastating conditions faced by Palestinians in the enclave.

"Every day, Palestinians are continuing to experience horrific suffering," the group wrote. It said that more than 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza had been killed since the so-called ceasefire was announced in October last year, including 300 children in 300 days, while more than 4,000 people had been wounded.

 

 

 

 

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The post also highlighted the fact that nearly 70% of Gaza’s territory remains under Israeli military control, despite the so-called peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, envisioning a full withdrawal of the Israeli army.

Artists4Ceasefire, which has repeatedly called for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, linked the situation in the besieged Palestinian territory to intensifying violence in the occupied West Bank. It said Palestinians there were being "terrorised and murdered by settlers and Israeli soldiers every day", while being forcibly displaced from their homes and land.

The statement was signed by actors and musicians including Javier Bardem, Melissa Barrera, Hannah Einbinder, Ilana Glazer, Annie Lennox, Poppy Liu, Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon and Morgan Spector.

"As artists, we have the privilege of reaching people through our work and our platforms," the signatories said. "With that privilege comes a responsibility to keep demanding an end to this horrific suffering."

They called for a permanent ceasefire, unrestricted delivery of critical humanitarian aid and an end to what they described as the decades-long denial of Palestinian human rights.

"The only path to a lasting peace is when both Palestinians and Israelis live in freedom, justice, and equity," the statement said.

The group also urged followers to share the message, donate, contact elected representatives and continue speaking out over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

"We need everyone working together to assert our shared humanity towards an end to this decades-long oppression, and to demand our collective liberation,” it added. “None of us are free until all of us are free."

Several of the statement’s signatories have previously used public platforms to call for a ceasefire and highlight Palestinian suffering.

Mark Ruffalo, Ilana Glazer and Susan Sarandon were among hundreds of artists who signed a letter as early as October 2023 urging then-US President Joe Biden to press for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire, the release of captives and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ruffalo later wore an Artists4Ceasefire pin at the 2024 Oscars, alongside other prominent attendees, and shared the group’s call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

More recently, he used the Oscars stage to say "No to war, and free Palestine", while other awards-season interventions have seen him call for sanctions and a boycott of Israeli film institutions he said were implicated in abuses against Palestinians.