Dua Lipa Calls for End to ‘Israeli Genocide’ Following Refugee Massacre

Dua Lipa is continuing her advocacy for a ceasefire in Gaza. After dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes on displacement camps in Southern Gaza, Lipa shared a post on Instagram calling for an end to “Israeli genocide.”

“Burning children alive can never be justified,” the Radical Optimism musician wrote Tuesday. “The whole world is mobilizing to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza.”

In her post, Lipa used hashtags #AllEyesOnRafah and #Artists4Ceasefire, with the first hashtag referencing a February speech by Rick Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza office, after Israel ordered an evacuation plan from the city amid its attack on the region.

Since Hama’s Oct. 7 attack, more than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s brutal siege in the Gaza Strip. Millions of Palestinians were displaced into Rafah, which Israel presented as a safe zone for civilians fleeing bombardment in the north. Alongside the ongoing threat that famine conditions may spread to Rafah, the area is now the subject of bombardment as Israel continues to escalate its assault on Southern Gaza. The Israeli government called this weekend’s massacre of displaced people a “tragic accident” — an excuse that holds little water given the frequency with which civilians are being killed and injured. 

Lipa has been a stark, vocal supporter of the end to Israel’s attack on the Palestinian people. She graced the cover of Rolling Stone in February and opened up about how her identity as a Kosovan influenced her advocacy for the Palestinian people.

“My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” the singer told Rolling Stone. “I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it.”

“My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive,” she added.

In the interview, Lipa also shared that she felt “so bad for every Israeli life lost” in the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people. Shortly after the Israel’s retaliation on Palestine, she signed a letter to President Joe Biden — alongside numerous A-listers under the #Artists4Ceasefire collective — calling for de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza.

“At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost,” Lipa told Rolling Stone. “There are just not enough world leaders that are taking a stand and speaking up about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening, the humanitarian cease-fire that has to happen.”

Lipa’s advocacy for the people of Palestine dates back years. In 2021, The New York Times ran a full-page ad from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and the World Values Network accusing Lipa and other celebrities of antisemitism for their support of Palestinian liberation. She told Rolling Stone she felt she was “put in danger” with the ad.

“I was put in a place where my core values were completely flipped on its head, and that really hurt because I feel like when I do want to speak about something, I hope that people will see it for what it is and that there is no malicious intent,” she said.

On Friday, the International Court of Justice, which is currently weighing allegations of genocide against the Israeli government, ordered Israel to halt its assault on Rafah.