Paramore Calls for Immediate Ceasefire Amid Israel-Hamas War: ‘We Simply Cannot Support a Genocide’
Written by djfrosty on May 29, 2024
Paramore is joining the latest round of celebrity support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following this week’s intensifying violence between Israel and Hamas in the southern city of Rafah.
On Instagram Stories Wednesday (May 29), the punk-rock trio posted information about Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, two organizations currently providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the ongoing war. After encouraging fans to join them in donating to the non-profits, the band concluded their note with a message: “We stand in solidarity with those calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Elsewhere in the post, bandmates Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro further explained their stance on the war, which has been waging on since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas killed about 1,200 Israeli civilians and took around 250 more hostage in a surprise attack in Gaza on Oct. 7. “Lastly, we do not believe that support for our Palestinian friends and family equals anti-Semitism,” they wrote. “We love our Jewish friends and family and pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages.”
The group added, “That being said, we simply cannot support a genocide.”
Paramore’s post comes amid Israel’s recent military push in Rafah, which on Sunday (May 26) culminated in an Israeli airstrike triggering a deadly fire that killed 45 people taking shelter in a Palestinian refugee camp. Over the next two days, at least 37 more civilians were reportedly killed by additional shelling and strikes in the area, putting the overall Palestinian death total since the war began well past 36,000.
Israeli leaders have argued that the violence in Rafah is crucial to ensuring Hamas’ return of the hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the refugee camp fire a “tragic mishap.” Political leaders and citizens across the globe, however, are increasingly calling for an end to the violence following the latest surge in civilian deaths, including other American artists such as Kehlani and Dua Lipa — both of whom have joined Paramore in publicly calling for action against the violence this week.