PREVIEW

Richard Gere among stars to condemn Gaza 'genocide' on eve of Cannes festival. More than 350 world figures from the film industry have published an open letter, condemning the "silence" over the deadly impact of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Signatories included a number of Hollywood stars, including Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Javier Bardem. On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, the letter, published on the website of France's Libération newspaper, stated, "We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza.” It was dedicated "For Fatem", in memory of 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in mid-April. Her death came 24 hours after it was announced that a documentary exploring her life in the Gaza Strip, titled Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, would world premiere at Cannes. Ten of her relatives were killed in the same strike. ”She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April, 2025... She was about to get married," read the letter. ”Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, filmmakers and artists are being brutally murdered.” Other celebrity signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Viggo Mortensen and Mark Ruffalo.
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