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Dua Lipa, Michael Stipe & More Stars Sign Open Letter to President Biden Urging for Ceasefire in Gaza

"We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honour all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay," the letter reads.

Dua Lipa at the Versace Fall-Winter 2023 Fashion Show held at Pacific Design Center on March 9, 2023 in West Hollywood, Calif.

Dua Lipa at the Versace Fall-Winter 2023 Fashion Show held at Pacific Design Center on March 9, 2023 in West Hollywood, Calif.

Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

As the Israel-Hamas war continues and the subsequent death toll rising, a number of high-profile stars have joined together to sign an open letter urging President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Dua Lipa, Michael Stipe, Caroline Polachek, Killer Mike, Vic Mensa, Miguel, Kaytranada, Macklemore, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack, Lena Waithe and more are among the signees of the letter, which reads in part, “We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages.”


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The letter adds: “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” before continuing, “Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”

See the full open letter here.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated after the horrific Oct. 7 terror attack on the Supernova Music Festival at Kibbutz Re’im by Hamas militants. The assault by air and land by the militant arm of the terrorist organization that governs the more than two million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip included the killing of more than 260 revelers and many more kidnapped at the Paralello Universo Supernova Sukkot Gathering electronic dance music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah.

As of Wednesday (Oct. 25), per the Washington Post, Israeli authorities said more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since then and more than 5,400 injured. Palestinian authorities said Israeli attacks have killed at least 6,546 people in Gaza and wounded more than 17,400.

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This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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Lucy MacNeil at the Canadian Folk Music Awards 2025 in Ottawa/Gatineau.
Curtis Perry

Lucy MacNeil at the Canadian Folk Music Awards 2025 in Ottawa/Gatineau.

Awards

Canadian Folk Music Awards Turn 20: Full Winners List

The milestone anniversary featured four nights of bilingual concerts and presentations in Ottawa/Gatineau, with a diverse mix of veterans and newcomers taking home trophies. Loryn Taggart and Lucy MacNeil won the most of this year's 21 awards.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMAs) turned 20 this year, and they celebrated the milestone anniversary with the 2025 edition of the awards. A series of bilingual concerts were held April 3-6 in Ottawa/Gatineau, the founding city of the event, with different awards handed out every night.

In all, 21 awards were presented in 20 categories, and artists from every Canadian province, representing a wide range of folk, roots and world music styles, were featured. The two double winners were Montreal singer-songwriter Loryn Taggart and Lucy MacNeil. Montreal singer-songwriter Taggart won for solo artist of the year (for her album The Lost Art of Pulling Through) and single of the year, for "Tell Me How," and these victories confirm her impact on the national scene.

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