Artists continue to rally for Gaza and Palestine
“When someone comes out of an attack like this, in a war like this, what do you expect a kid to feel?” Eyad al-Sheikh Khalil said to Al Jazeera, after his six-year-old niece emerged from the flames of a school fire, seemingly unscathed yet mentally charred, knowing that the rest of her family wasn’t so fortunate.
A video circulated online recently, capturing Ward Sheikh Khalil’s silhouette as she escaped the inferno after the attack on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in Gaza City. Her father and brother also survived the aerial attack, though both are hospitalised. But the air strike launched by Israel killed her mother, two of her siblings, and 33 other people as they were seeking refuge in the school.
“I walked in the fire so I could escape. I was in the fire, and the ceiling fell on me. The ceiling fully collapsed. The fire was blazing,” a distressed Ward recalled, as she flashed her burn injuries to the camera. Sobbing in memory of the deceased, she said, “They were martyred. May God forgive them.”
Across the world, the little girl’s prayer was elevated by Pakistani actor Sarwat Gilani, who penned her own heartfelt prayer for the people of Palestine on Instagram Tuesday.
“O Allah of mercy, hear our cry from the depths of sorrow. In the shattered streets and broken homes, where children weep and mothers mourn, let your presence be a balm to the wounded,” Sarwat began.
Sarwat prayed for the innocent to find shelter, for the hungry to be fed, and for the broken to be healed in body and spirit. Praying for the guidance of those in power, she continued, “Let the cries of the oppressed rise to heaven and stir the hearts of those with power to choose peace over war, justice over vengeance, and compassion over cruelty.”
In her prayer, the Mann Pyasa actor envisioned a world where hands would rebuild homes instead of weapons, where despair would turn to hope, and mourning would transform into the courage to rebuild a devastated homeland.
“Grant strength to the peacemakers, wisdom to the leaders, and comfort to the grieving. Let no more blood be spilled. Let no more lives be lost. Let Gaza live. Ameen,” she said, punctuating her caption with the ever-resonating hashtag #FreePalestine.
Echoes around the world
Sarwat is just one of the many Pakistani artists who have spoken out in inexhaustible favour of Palestine. Recently, playback singer Shuja Haider condemned the genocide in Gaza on social media.
He wrote, “What’s unfolding in Gaza is a devastation of our collective humanity. The unimaginable suffering of those innocent lives is a harsh reminder that the loss of innocent lives can never be justified. Humanity knows no bounds of religion or country. May justice be served to those accountable and may peace ultimately prevail.”
Meanwhile, author Fatima Bhutto’s Instagram feed packs information about Israel’s atrocities towards Palestine and its people. “Every day they commit more and more obscene crimes. Speak out now,” she urged in a new thread post, which contained news about reinforced starvation in Gaza, the United States’ funding of the Israeli military, forceful imprisonment of Dr Hussam Abu Sufiya among other health workers detained by Israel, and more.
But that’s not all. From Imagine Dragons waving the Palestinian flag at the end of their concert in a clip shared by Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza to Saint Levant quoting Nelson Mandela on Instagram Stories to declare that “no one is free until Palestine is free,” the cause resonates with artists all over the globe.
In a statement shared by charity Choose Love, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan – another avid supporter of the Palestinian cause – announced that she was donating her Peace Lily gown to raise funds for Gaza. “It was an honour to wear this custom gown from the inimitable Robert Wun. The message behind it is a rallying call for peace. I’m delighted to donate this gown to the prize draw to support Choose Love’s work in Gaza.”
Sealed in writing
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