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Actress Jessica Chastain Calls for Bringing Israeli Hostages Home Who Were Kidnapped by Hamas
by Shiryn Ghermezian
The mother of Maya Schem holds up a picture of her daughter who was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip, following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 17, 2023. Hamas has released a video of Schem. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
American actress and producer Jessica Chastain on Monday backed calls for the immediate return of an estimated 199 hostages kidnapped from Israel by the Hamas terrorist organization and taken back to Gaza.
Chastain shared a video on X/Twitter from the recently launched #BringThemHomeNow campaign showing an Israeli mother and wife named Lior Katz-Natanson talking about her family members — including her sister, brother, nieces, mother, and her mother’s boyfriend — who were taken by Hamas.
Chastain added a personal message in the video’s caption.
“This is not a political issue,” wrote the George & Tammy star. “This is not part of the Israeli advocacy and doesn’t try to justify any war acts. It’s a human and humanitarian issue. Innocent civilians should not be part of a war. There are around 200 hostages, among them are women, children, Holocaust survivors, and elderly people.”
This is not a political issue. This is not part of the Israeli advocacy and doesn’t try to justify any war acts. It’s a human and humanitarian issue. Innocent civilians should not be part of a war. There are around 200 hostages, among them are women, children, Holocaust… pic.twitter.com/JDvj41FD9d
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 16, 2023
The campaign asks social media users to share videos of Israelis asking for the return for their loved ones who were kidnapped by Hamas with the accompanying hashtag #BringThemHomeNow. The aim is to spread the word about the brutality of Hamas’ terror onslaught and to “make sure these families find some solace in knowing that they are not alone in their plea for the safe return of their loved ones,” according to the campaign’s website. The videos are available in English, Hebrew, German, Spanish, French, and Italian.
In separate posts on X/Twitter on Monday, Chastain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and for humanitarian aid to be sent to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. She previously posted about the hundreds of young men and women who were killed or taken hostages by Hamas at an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group launched its large-scale attack against Israel and killed over 1,400 Israelis.
