As Israeli forces, supported by tanks, moved into the Palestinian enclave with a ground assault, intense artillery, and airstrikes broke out in Gaza early on Monday, prompting additional international demands for the protection of civilians.
As ground operations in the Gaza Strip increased, Israel’s military reported that it had hit over 600 militant targets in the last three days. As the war moves into its fourth week, Palestinian inhabitants in the Gaza Strip are desperately lacking food, fuel, and clean water.
Another voice supporting calls for an early ceasefire in the face of an escalating humanitarian disaster is actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie. “Like millions around the world, I have spent the last weeks sick and angry at the terrorist attack in Israel, the death of so many innocent civilians, and wondering how best to help,” the Academy Award winner wrote at the opening of a carousel post she shared on her official Instagram account.
“What happened in Israel is an act of terror,” she continued. However, that does not excuse the death toll from bombing Gaza’s civilian population, which has nowhere to flee, no access to food or water, no chance of evacuation, and not even the fundamental human right to cross a border in search of safety.
The Lara Croft actor said, “Gaza has a population of over two million people (half of them children), who have lived under a severe blockade for nearly two decades, on top of decades of displacement and statelessness,” citing her extensive work in humanitarian relief as the former Special Envoy to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Jolie voiced worries about Gaza’s Israeli blockade. “The bombings are creating desperate new humanitarian needs daily, and the few aid trucks that are entering are a fraction of what is needed (and was delivered daily before the present conflict).”
“The denial of aid, fuel, and water is collectively punishing a people,” the actor maintained. An immediate ceasefire is required by humanity. The lives of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as all people worldwide, are equally important. Anything that can save lives and stop innocent casualties ought to be done.
Jolie declared, “Like many others, I have donated to medical relief efforts,” as she closed her statement. I have opted to endorse the efforts of Physicians Without Borders and have been attentively monitoring their coverage.
