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by Shiryn Ghermezian
Justin Timberlake at the Los Angeles premiere of Hulu’s ‘Candy’ TV show at El Capitan Theatre in May 2022. Photo: Cover Media via Reuters Connect
Hundreds of Hollywood actors, comedians, directors, and executives signed an open letter addressed to US President Joe Biden on Monday calling for the release of all hostages taken from Israel by Hamas during the Palestinian terrorist group’s rampage against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.
Amy Schumer, Zoe Saldana, Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Orlando Bloom, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Will Ferrell, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake, and a slew of others signed the letter as part of a new campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind. The open letter, which also thanks Biden for his leadership, comes after Hamas released four hostages in two separate occasions since Friday.
“We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan, and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity,” the letter begins. “But our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death.”
Others who signed the list include Ewan McGregor, Aaron Sorkin, Judd Apatow, Zack Snyder, Jordan Peele, Josh Brolin, Jon Hamm, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jerry Seinfeld and Courteney Cox.
“We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages,” the letter states. “We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released. No hostage can be left behind … we need to bring them home.”
Biden was thanked in the letter for his “unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorized by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for the last 17 years that the group has been governing Gaza.”
Hamas murdered more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, during a series of attacks in Israel earlier this month and kidnapped over 200 others, who they forcibly took back to the Gaza Strip.
