Mass Brawl Outside Gal Gadot's Hamas Attack Screening

A Los Angeles screening Gal Gadot helped facilitate of a film showing the October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants was marred by a mass brawl outside the venue on Wednesday night.

Video footage shared by Los Angeles' KABC-TV shows at least two groups clashing outside the city's Museum of Tolerance on Pico Boulevard.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at the scene as punches were exchanged and pepper spray was used.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, some 200 people were in attendance at the screening, where there was a heavy security presence. An official with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, and Hollywood executives were among those reported to have attended the event.

An LAPD spokesperson told Newsweek that following the incidents outside the screening, "two battery reports were completed. Both parties refused medical treatment. There were no arrests."

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Gadot via email for comment.

The film covers Palestinian militant group Hamas' surprise attack on Israel, which subsequently launched airstrikes on Gaza. According to Israeli officials, 1,400 people in Israel have been killed as of Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, while more than 10,300 Palestinians have been killed, according to officials from the health ministry in Gaza, the AP said.

Called Bearing Witness, the 43-minute film was described as featuring "extremely graphic and violent" video footage "documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th, 2023." According to reports, the film includes footage shot by members of Hamas.

The location of the film's screening was shared online ahead of time, necessitating an FBI advance team, per The Hollywood Reporter. On the night of the screening there was a heavy police presence, with several LAPD officers stationed outside the museum's theater, on the surrounding streets and in a helicopter.

Los Angeles-based J-Town Action and Solidarity, which describes itself as a "grassroots collective dedicated to revolutionary organizing [and] building community power in Little Tokyo," was among those who shared the location of the screening ahead of time.

"So anyways, it would be a shame if folks happened to be congregating at the below address this Wednesday evening (11/8)," read a November 6 post on X, formerly Twitter. The post included the address of the venue.

The account, which has expressed support for Palestinians, later called for the screening to be canceled, amid claims that "Zionists are now making threats of gun violence on pro-Palestine protestors."

"We must demand that the @musoftolerance & @GalGadot cancel this event for EVERYONE'S safety," read the November 7 post. "FLOOD THEIR LINES!!"

The Los Angeles Times reported that there were Jews among those protesting against the screening of Bearing Witness. According to the publication, protests were initially largely peaceful before the mass brawl broke out.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass decried the violence in a post shared on X.

"We cannot allow current worldwide tension to devolve into this unacceptable violence in our city," she wrote in response to brawl footage. "This is a time of immense pain and distress for thousands of Angelenos. We must stand together."

Throughout the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Israeli-born Wonder Woman star Gadot has frequently shared social media posts supporting the people of Israel. In particular, she has shone a spotlight on hostages taken by Hamas.

To illuminate the conflict, Gadot, who served in the IDF before launching her acting career, helped to organize a screening of the footage provided by an IDF spokesperson, which was marred by the disturbance on Wednesday evening.

Oscar-winning director Guy Nattiv, who reportedly spearheaded efforts to bring the film to the United States—with a screening planned for a group of select celebrities and public figures—recently revealed, per Israeli-based i24NEWS: "Gal Gadot and her husband, Yaron Varsano, helped make this possible."

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gadot was not in attendance at the Los Angeles screening on Wednesday. However, her film producer husband Varsano was, as well as Nattiv.

Following the October 7 Hamas attacks, Gadot took to Instagram, where she posted a photo of the Star of David, accompanied by the statement: "I stand with Israel."

"I stand with Israel you should too," the Wonder Woman star captioned the image. "The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!"

Since then, Gadot's platform has featured several posts regarding the Israelis taken hostage, with the hashtags "#ReleaseTheHostages" and "#BringThemBack."

The screen star, who has more than 100 million followers on Instagram, has been praised for her efforts.

"Using your platform of 109 MILLION to be a voice for your people. Gal we will always remember this," wrote one Instagram user.

However, many others have responded to Gadot's posts with a flood of "Free Palestine" comments.

"What you think about Palestine?" asked one Instagram user.

Gadot is yet to provide an answer to that comment, opting instead to direct her focus on the plight of the scores of Israelis who have been taken hostage by militants.

Her silence on the situation of the Palestinians could well stem from the fact that she actually did address the issue days into the conflict, only to face a wave of criticism.

"Killing innocent Palestinians is horrific. Killing innocent Israelis is horrific," Gadot wrote in an Instagram Story post. "If you don't feel the same, I think should ask yourself why that is."

The post caught the attention of Israeli TV host and commentator Ofira Asayag, who shared a screenshot of the star's comments on her own Instagram account.

"Gal Gadot, you deleted your post. Well done," Asayag wrote, per Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "I've held myself back from answering you several times because you're concerned about your income and career, and that's fine. But this time, you've crossed the line."

"Come see the fields filled with headless babies, murdered girls, dead soldiers and grieving families. Those who've attacked us are cruel and hate Israel," Asayag added. "Keep quiet, it's better for all of us. You live in some Hollywood movie, and whenever you feel like it, you're Israeli again."

Responding to the criticism, Gadot reportedly wrote: "Ofira, my love, I am sorry if my words were not understood in the way that I meant them. All I want is to speak out for Israel in the world and to show the horrors that we are experiencing and to help obtain worldwide support in the face of our critics.

"I will continue to do whatever I can in order to make Israel's outcry heard everywhere. My heart is bleeding and I am beside myself with sorrow over what is happening."

Update 11/09/23, 4:05 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from the LAPD.