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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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Julia Vos
Brandyn Leigh

Julia Vos

Music News

Julia Vos, Edwin Raphael, Fjørt and More Added to BreakOut West 2026 Festival Lineup

The festival and conference focused on music from Northern and Western Canada is bringing its latest edition to Victoria, British Columbia from Oct. 1-3.

The lineup for BreakOut West 2026 continues to take shape.

The Western Canadian festival and conference has announced the third wave of acts who will perform during its 2026 edition, taking place in Victoria, British Columbia from Oct. 1-3. The talented additions span a wide variety of styles, bringing along bubbling Canadian acts like country singer Julia Vos, indie-folk artist Edwin Raphael, plus German post-hardcore band Fjørt. As part of its continued artist exchange program with Focus Wales, Jamaican-Welsh rapper Mace the Great is also set to perform at BreakOut West 2026, just months after five Canadian artists represented the festival in Wales back in May.

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