Sharon Stone meets with families ‘who have children held as hostages by Hamas’ as she urges followers not to ‘support violence’ amid Israel’s war with Hamas
Sharon Stone took to Instagram on Tuesday saying she has met with victims of Hamas amid the ongoing six weeks of conflict between the political-military organization and Israel.
‘Meeting w families who have children held as hostages by Hamas & have lost immediate family to Hamas,’ Stone, 65, captioned the post.
The Basic Instinct star advised to her 3.8 million followers, ‘You don’t know until you know. Don’t support violence;’ in an accompanying photo, Stone was seen cupping her hands over her mouth as she sat at a table with four other people.
The Oscar-nominated Casino actress, who wept last month while speaking about the war, spoke out on the topic amid recent developments impacting other stars who have publicly commented on the war and related issues.
Actress Melissa Barrera was let go from Scream VII after making critical remarks about Israel, while Susan Sarandon was dropped by the Hollywood agency UTA after saying that American Jews are getting a ‘taste of how it feels to be Muslim’ amid a spike in antisemitic incidents.
The latest: Sharon Stone, 65, took to Instagram on Tuesday saying she has met with victims of Hamas amid the ongoing six weeks of conflict between the political-military organization and Israel
Details: The Basic Instinct star advised to her 3.8 million followers, ‘You don’t know until you know. Don’t support violence.’ Pictured in LA earlier this month
Stone mostly faced pushback in the comment section of the thread from people who felt she was one-sided in using her platform to speak out on the international conflict.
‘I hope you talk to the thousands of parents of dead children in Gaza too,’ one user said, while another commented, ‘You can be against Hamas and also be horrified and completely against what the Israel gov alongside the United States are doing to the people of Palestine.
‘Israel has killed thousands and thousands of children in the past 3 weeks, it’s entrapment and genocide.’
Some users said they were put off by Stone’s opinion, with one labeling themselves ‘a former fan,’ while multiple users said they were going to unfollow her on the social media site.
Some did back up Stone in her passionate public statement, as one person said, ‘You’re the best Sharon’ while another chimed in, ‘Thanks for using your voice!!’
The Sliver actress spoke out amid news that Israel and Hamas appeared close to a deal that would temporarily halt their devastating war and release dozens of hostages being held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Cabinet for a vote late Tuesday. The meeting stretched into the early hours Wednesday, underscoring the sensitivity of a proposal that would suspend an Israeli offensive against Hamas before it has reached its goals.
Ahead of the vote, Netanyahu sought to assure the government ministers that the break was only tactical, vowing to resume the offensive after the truce expires. Top security officials also attended the meeting.
The Oscar-nominated Casino actress spoke out on the topic amid recent developments impacting other stars who have publicly commented on the war and related issues, including Melissa Barrera and Susan Sarandon
Stone mostly faced pushback in the comment section of the thread from people who felt she was one-sided in using her platform to speak out on the international conflict
‘We are at war, and we will continue the war,’ Netanyahu said. ‘We will continue until we achieve all our goals.’
The Israeli Cabinet was expected to approve a plan that would halt Israel´s offensive in Gaza for several days in exchange for the release of about 50 of the 240 hostages held by Hamas. Israel has vowed to continue the war until it destroys Hamas´ military capabilities and returns all hostages.
Hamas predicted on Tuesday that the deal, mediated by Qatar and the United States, could be reached in ‘the coming hours.’
Netanyahu acknowledged that the Cabinet faced a tough decision, but supporting the cease-fire was the right thing to do. Netanyahu appeared to have enough support to pass the measure, despite opposition from some hard-line ministers.
Netanyahu said that during the lull, intelligence efforts will be maintained, allowing the army to prepare for the next stages of battle. He said the battle would continue until ‘Gaza will not threaten Israel.’
The announcement came as Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants in an urban refugee camp in northern Gaza and around hospitals overcrowded with patients and sheltering families.
Details of the expected cease-fire deal were not released. Israeli media reported that an agreement would include a five-day halt in Israel´s offensive in Gaza and the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for some 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel´s Channel 12 TV said the first releases would take place Thursday or Friday and continue for several days.
Families and friends of about 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel Tuesday
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system was pictured intercepting a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in central Israel Tuesday
Talks have repeatedly stalled. But even if a deal is reached, it would not mean an end to the war, which erupted on October 7 after Hamas militants stormed across the border into southern Israel and killed at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped some 240 others.
In weeks of Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, two-thirds of them women and minors, and more than 2,700 others are missing and believed to be buried under rubble, according to Gaza´s Health Ministry. The ministry says it has been unable to update its count since Nov. 11 because of the health sector´s collapse.
Gaza health officials say the toll has risen sharply since, and hospitals continue to report deaths from daily strikes, often dozens at a time.
The Health Ministry in the West Bank last reported a toll of 13,300 but stopped providing its own count Tuesday without giving a reason. Because of that, and because officials there declined to explain in detail how they tracked deaths after November 11, the AP decided to stop reporting its count.
The Health Ministry toll does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants but has not provided evidence for its count.
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