'Die in desert or die in your homes': American actor condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza

'Help is desperately needed for children of Gaza and people of Rafah,' says Mark Ruffalo

Alperen Aktas |08.05.2024 


ISTANBUL

American actor Mark Ruffalo, best known for his work in Marvel movies, decried Israel's months of attacks on Gaza, saying that the Palestinians have been given a terrible choice: "Die in the desert or die in your homes."

"Help is desperately needed for the Children of Gaza and the people of Rafah," Ruffalo wrote on X.

Ruffalo noted that those in Rafah were being sent to "internment camps" where they faced "neglect" and "suffering."

On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced seizing the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.