Gal Gadot arrives for the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, April 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci

Israeli actress Gal Gadot got visibly emotional on Wednesday night while speaking at an event in Los Angeles in support of Israel and the immediate return of the more than 200 people taken hostage from the Jewish state to Gaza by Hamas terrorists earlier this month.

While talking on stage at Temple Israel of Hollywood alongside Israeli author and activist Noa Tishby, Gadot held back tears as she criticized the world for demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas while at least 222 people, mostly Israeli civilians, remain captives of Hamas in Gaza.

“I ask myself, what happened to humanity? How can that be?” Gadot said. “Why do we need to convince people that is not OK when others are asking for a ceasefire? I’m all for peace, don’t get me wrong, but the hostages are still there. Not a word about the abductees, but let’s ceasefire now. What? What are you talking about?”

Wednesday night’s event with Gadot and Tishby, who is the former Israeli special envoy for combating antisemitism, was a fundraiser for HIAS, a Jewish refugee protection organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. The event took place both in-person and remotely via Zoom.

Gadot joined hundreds of other Hollywood figures and executives in signing an open letter earlier this week addressed to US President Joe Biden calling for the release of all those kidnapped by Hamas and held against their will in Gaza. Since Hamas’ initial attack against Israel on Oct. 7, the Wonder Woman star has repeatedly taken to social media to show solidarity with the Jewish state, including by sharing videos and photos of the civilians who Hamas kidnapped — among them women, children, and the elderly.

So far, Hamas has released only four hostages in two separate occasions. The terrorist organization also killed 1,400 Israelis during its deadly rampage in Israel earlier this month.