Billie Eilish was one of many celebrities at the 2024 Academy Awards on Sunday who donned pins in support of a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Context
Other celebrities wearing pins to show support for Palestinians in the war-torn territory included Eilish's brother Finneas, Ramy Youssef, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVerany and Swann Arlaud.
Also wearing the pin which was a red circle with a hand in it and a black love heart on the palm were, Quannah Chasinghorse, Riz Ahmed, Swann Arlaud and Milo Machado. Graner.
There did not appear to be any people wearing a pin in solidarity with the hostages still in being held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas kidnapped more than 200 people from Israel on October 7 and around 134 still remain in their possession, per Reuters.
What We Know
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's war on Hamas began after the military arm of the group's deadly October 7, 2023 attack, The Associated Press reported, citing health officials in Gaza.
The pins represent the Artists4Ceasefire campaign which saw nearly 400 artists sign an open letter to President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Some of the signatories included 2024 Oscar nominees Bradley Cooper and America Ferrera, and previous Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Ben Affleck. Jewish rapper Drake and Jennifer Lopez also signed the letter.
"The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza," Artists4Ceasefire said in a statement.
"Compassion must prevail."
Views
The Israel-Hamas war had not been acknowledged at other ceremonies during the 2024 awards season, a fact not lost on Poor Things actor, Youssef.
"There's a part of you that hopes it doesn't have to get to pins," he told Variety on the red carpet. "There's a part of us that hoped we would already be at a cease-fire, and we're not."
Israel's military actions in Gaza were also raised on the Oscars stage when The Zone of Interest won for Best International Feature. The movie shows the daily lives of a Nazi family whose patriarch is a commander at the neighboring Auschwitz concentration camp where around 1.1 million people were killed, the majority of whom were Jewish.
"Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It's shaped all of our past and present," said the movie's director and writer, Jonathan Glazer.
"Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people," he said and added, "whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza — all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?"
UPDATE: 03/10/2024, 10:00 P.M. ET. This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
