The entertainment world has reacted to the news that a ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Palestine in Gaza.
Yesterday (January 15), US president Joe Biden confirmed the deal, which will take effect this Sunday (January 19) and will see the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Palestine, along with the release of all the remaining hostages. The United Nations also responded that the deal allows the ramping up of the delivery of aid to Palestinians, per BBC.
Model Bella Hadid, who is of Palestinian descent – and has continually advocated for an end to the war with sister Gigi – shared on Instagram Stories a clip of Palestinians celebrating the deal. “My heart is in pieces”, she wrote. “There’s just so much to say”.
Rapper Macklemore, who released the singles ‘Hind’s Hall’ and ‘Hind’s Hall 2’ in benefit of Palestinian aid, shared his elation on social media with a clip of children hearing the news. “Tears….CEASEFIRE!!! FREE PALESTINE”, he wrote.
Scream actress Melissa Barrera, who was dropped from the horror film franchise after sharing a social media post in support of Palestine, shared a string of emojis expressing her relief and excitement, adding: “Until liberation”.
Kehlani, while celebratory, acknowledged the anxieties around the ceasefire deal while calling it a part of “first steps”.
“I know we all feel still deeply incredibly worried and mistrusting of the regime and its potentials, but also rn, imma cry at all the Gazan joy and relief,” she wrote on Threads, “worth celebrating. deeply.”
Paloma Faith expanded on these sentiments, writing in an Instagram Story she’s “almost sad and scared about the ceasefire now”.
“It worries me what they will do before the ceasefire and the aftermath and trauma endured by all those families who have witnessed unspeakable things, been tortured, lost family members, all the orphaned children, the childless parents, the PTSD they will live with forever,” she wrote.
“No where to live, no where to go, a wasteland…. It’s unthinkable and unforgivable”.
Other artists also stood firm on the seriousness of the fatalities in Palestine, along with what the country still faces. Primal Scream shared an Instagram Story with a picture of wounded Palestinian children, writing that the deal is a “ceasefire in name only”.
Rap trio Kneecap tweeted that “we must not forget what Israel has done”.
“They need to be sanctioned and their leadership arrested and prosecuted,” they wrote. “They’ve murdered 100,000 people, mostly kids, and left Gaza as an unliveable wasteland.”
Reuters reported that, since the ceasefire was announced, airstrikes were intensified in Gaza by Israeli forces.
Over the last year, the conflict also drew criticism from the likes of Roger Waters – who attacked Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwod for their stance on the war – along with Massive Attack, Young Fathers, Brian Eno, and Fontaines D.C., some of whom, along with R.E.M, Bastille and others, read out letters from Palestinians suffering in Gaza as part of a ‘Voices For Gaza’ initiative in early 2024.
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A$AP Rocky has revealed that it took years of persistence before Tim Burton agreed to create the cover artwork for his upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. The rapper reflected on how the unlikely collaboration finally came together during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Going into detail about the process, Rocky confessed that he “basically had to stalk and harass him for a few years” before things clicked. He explained, “I reached out and told him I would love to hang out, play him some vibes and just connect. I ended up going to Malibu while he was on a break, and he was feeling it. I played him an early version of the album and he really liked it. That’s when I asked, ‘Do you think you might want to do the illustration for this?’ He was open to it, but then suddenly he had Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2 going on. I realized this was going to take a lot longer than I thought.”
A$AP Rocky went on to describe a moment that really stuck with him during that visit. “While I was there, I noticed a sketch sitting on the table and asked if he drew it,” he said. “He told me that every morning he and his daughter work on drawings together. He starts one, then she comes in and finishes it or changes it. It’s something they practice daily. I saw it as their bond, and to me, that felt priceless.”
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky also released a double music video for his tracks “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO.” Tim Burton appears in the visual and contributed multiple illustrations that tie into the project.
Alongside the release of the “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO” video, Rocky officially unveiled the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour. The run will include 42 dates across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, with shows scheduled throughout 2026.
