Noah Schnapp addresses the misunderstanding around his thoughts on Gaza as production on ‘Stranger Things 5’ gets underway.

In light of the fact that the death toll from Israeli aggression is climbing and is already over 24,000, Palestinian rights activists are calling for a boycott of cultural and corporate goods that support the apartheid regime. Actor Noah Schnapp and his popular series Stranger Things were among the targets of boycott demands following a video that went viral showing him endorsing “Zionism Is Sexy” stickers.

On Tuesday, two months after the issue broke, the actor posted a video message to TikTok in which he claimed that people had misunderstood his opinions on the subject. The announcement is especially noteworthy because it arrives exactly one week after filming for Stranger Things season 5 began.

I wanted to just stop by and talk about everything that’s been happening on the internet. I wanted to express my feelings from the bottom of my heart since I feel that people have completely misunderstood my ideas and opinions. “All innocent people affected by this conflict deserve nothing less than peace, safety, and security.”

Speaking “with friends from Palestinian backgrounds” enlightened Schnapp on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, he continued. The return to their families of the innocent hostages still held in Gaza and the cessation of the killing of innocent people in Palestine—many of them are women and children—are two things that I’ve learned from this experience. “It’s horrifying to witness,” he continued.

Schnapp continued, “I stand against any killing of any innocent people, and I hope you guys all do, too,” emphasizing that the cessation of violence is a shared objective of “both sides.” All I want is for those two communities to be able to coexist peacefully in that area, and for the internet to be a more accepting and empathetic place in 2024, where people can put aside their differences and realize that we’re all humans.

Fans’ reactions to the TikTok video were mixed, with some wondering why Schnapp made his speech at this time and others still demanding a boycott. The actor then went on to completely block the TikTok video’s comment section.

Following the October surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, which killed more than 1,300 people, Schnapp last year posted a lengthy statement. The Jewish actor claimed that Israel is the only legitimate Palestinian organization, even though Hamas does not speak for the Palestinian people as a whole. You can’t support both Israel and terrorists; you must choose one. Making a decision shouldn’t be hard. “You shouldn’t be in charge,” Schnapp said.