Hollywood stars mourn murder of 6 hostages by Hamas
Gal Gadot, Debra Messing, Gwyneth Paltrow and others express sorrow and sympathy following heartbreaking recovery of bodies from Gaza
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
As Israelis mourn the loss of six hostages murdered by Hamas terrorists and whose bodies were found by IDF soldiers in a tunnel below Gaza, US-based celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow, Gal Gadot, Debra Messing and other Hollywood stars have expressed sorrow and sympathy for the families.
After the news broke early Sunday that the bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Ori Danino were removed from a tunnel in Rafah, Paltrow sympathized with the victims’ parents.
She also drew attention to the remaining female hostages, calling out the world’s feminists who have paid little attention to the sexual crimes, including rapes, committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and since.
“To the families of each hostage whose life was stolen, I have thought of you every day for 11 months, but today I send you my heart,” wrote Paltrow, who has written about the hostages’ plight over the past eleven months.
Paltrow also wrote a separate Instagram Stories post, asking, “There are still 17 women being held by Hamas. Where are the feminists?” with the hashtag “#rapeisnotresistance.”
Debra Messing, who signed a letter of support for Israel’s military in October 2023 and visited Israel in December, posted in tears about the deep pain she felt over the killings.
“The collective grief, the agony that comes with the news that Hersh and those five beautiful souls were executed ISIS style in the last two days is unbearable,” Messing wrote on Instagram.
Messing referred to the tireless struggle that Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Jon and Rachel, have fought for their son’s release, including their recent appearance at the Democratic National Convention. The couple received an extended standing ovation at the DNC as they pleaded for their son’s life.
“After Rachel and John spoke to the world at the DNC, begging for their rescue, for their release, and two days ago, standing on the border of Gaza with a bullhorn screaming, ‘Hersh! Fight. Survive. We won’t give up.’ And in the middle of negotiations. There is no moral equivalency. These are monsters, and every American should be grieving today, because Hirsch did not have to die, the six of them did not have to die,” wrote Messing.
The actress’s post also placed the blame for the six deaths on those who had opposed the IDF’s offensive in Rafah in May. At the time, Messing received heavy backlash in her social media posts.
“And to all of you people who posted, ‘All Eyes on Rafah,’ pressuring not to go into Rafah, which is where they were, is so painful. So, to all of you, ‘All Eyes on Rafah,’ you did this,” wrote Messing.
Israeli actress Gadot posted a montage of images of the six victims.
“They survived almost 11 months in captivity and then were murdered by Hamas,” she wrote. “People who became an inseparable part of our hearts, families who waited so long for a different end, the heart is broken into pieces today. 101 more hostages still there.”
Ben Stiller added three blue hearts to his reaction on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Sending love and support to the families of the hostages [whose] lives were taken so brutally. So many people are sharing this pain. My family’s heart goes out to you.”
