Nadia Jamil, Ushna Shah condemn Israel supporters | The Express Tribune

As Israeli atrocities against Palestinians intensify, the global community has not stayed silent. Celebrities and influencers are utilising their online following on social media platforms like X and Instagram to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Pakistani actor and human rights activist Nadia Jamil has been a consistent proponent in rallying for an end to Israel’s brutality. In a series of posts on Instagram’s grid, the actor raised awareness about the Palestinian struggle. Nadia shared an old recording of eminent poet Faiz Ali Faiz’s last TV interview where he delivered a self-penned poem on Palestinian children.

Nadia also shared a screengrab of a post by literary publisher Verso’s X account which read, “Death on television isn’t death. It’s an image, a recyclable flash of pixelated light accompanied by commentary, chatter, noise, and the obscenity of cliche. But when you’re there, al-Ghoul said, what stands out is the silence.”

In another post, the Behadd actor attached a screenshot informing her followers of Walmart’s addition to the official boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) call by Palestinians. The celebrity also put up an Instagram story, expressing her sorrow for Palestinian infants at al-Shifa hospital battling for their lives.

Nadia penned in the overlay text, “May these sounds haunt every pro-Israeli massacre and genocide apologist for the rest of their useless lives and beyond.” Actor Ushna Shah is another celebrity to continually post about Palestinian suffering on her social media, urging other influential persons to join her while calling out the silence of others.

Recently, the actor took to X to launch a broadside against Emma Watson, British actor renowned for playing Hermione Granger in the hit Harry Potter film series. Ushna slammed Emma’s feminist and humanitarian engagements while choosing to stay mum on Israeli brutality.

Ushna said, “Not only was Emma Watson painfully mediocre in Harry Potter, where she butchered the role of Hermione, but her pseudo-intellectualism and performative activism have always been transparent.”

The Habs star furthered on, “She jumped on the bandwagon to bite the hand that fed her talentless mouth (JK Rowling, who is also a fraud mind you) I’d like to ask, where is she now?” Ushna appreciated Bonnie Wright, the actor who essayed the role of Ginny Weasley in the franchise.

She pointed out, “While Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, spoke up for Palestine, where is Emma’s furiously brave feminism? Does it not apply to the women of Gaza? The ones having C-sections without anaesthesia? The ones in the most abhorrent conditions?”

Ushna capped her post, saying, “Frauds upon frauds revealed.” Previously, she had commended Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo for his support of Palestine. The Marvel star’s advocacy gathered more praise as Ushna highlighted his resilience against pressure and applauded his dedication to justice.

She wrote, “He was one of the first to post for Falasteen (Palestine) some years ago while Isntreal was on one of their murderous sprees. He had to delete the post and issue an apology. Glad to see whatever they pressurized him with didn’t work this time! Love him.”

The Israeli military said it was carrying out a ‘raid’ on Wednesday against Hamas fighters in Al Shifa Hospital, having urged them to surrender with thousands of Palestinian civilians still sheltering inside Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital. 

Medical officials in Gaza say more than 11,000 people are confirmed dead from Israeli strikes, around 40% of them children, and countless others were trapped under rubble. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of the Gaza health ministry, told Al Jazeera television that Israeli forces had raided the western side of the medical complex.

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