(London) British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa condemned Israel’s bombing of refugee camps in Rafah, denouncing a “genocide” on Instagram and calling on her 88 million subscribers to “show solidarity with Gaza”.
“Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilizing to end the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza,” the star wrote on Tuesday, sharing a visual from the Artists4Ceasefire collective.
Condemnations and calls for a ceasefire have increased since Sunday after two Israeli strikes on refugee camps in Rafah, which left around sixty dead according to Gaza Civil Defense and the Hamas Ministry of Health.
They bring the death toll to 36,171, mostly civilians, in the besieged territory, according to data published Wednesday by the Hamas administration’s Ministry of Health.
Dua Lipa, a 28-year-old popstar of Kosovar origin, has long defended Palestinian rights.
The singer, whose latest album, Radical Optimism came out in May, said he was “desperately” waiting for a ceasefire in December on Instagram.
She had also, before the current conflict in Gaza, criticized the actions of the Israeli army, and advocated for Palestinian independence.
The Artists4Ceasefire collective was created a few days after the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, which resulted in the death of more than 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count.
It brings together dozens of international actors, musicians and artists demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and who have signed an open letter addressed to American President Joe Biden.
Among them are Dua Lipa, the singer Annie Lennox, the models of Palestinian origin Gigi and Bella Hadid or the actors Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef.
However, voices in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza remain quite rare in the music world, and even more so in the pop world.
Some 2,000 British artists, including actors Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance and Steve Coogan, also signed a letter in October, asking the government to “end military and political support for Israel’s actions”.