Gaza War Enters Day 69: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift Join Fundraising Event

The brutal Israel-Hamas conflict has been raging on for 69 days now, plunging almost the entire Middle East into chaos. The Hamas-run health ministry updated the death toll in Gaza on Tuesday, reporting the figure as 18,412 people, mostly innocent women and children.

Israel’s concerning bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave comes in retaliation for the attack by Hamas militants on October 7 that claimed at least 1,200 lives, according to Israeli figures, and saw roughly 240 people taken hostage.

Star-Studded Fundraising Event For Gaza

In recent news, US superstars Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift have been spotted attending a Gaza charity event, as per converging reports. The event was hosted by American-Egyptian comedian Ramy Youssef at his Brooklyn comedy club, as part of the “More Feelings” tour.

Youssef’s club supports organisations helping the Palestinians in need and pledged to donate 100% of its proceeds from the event to the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), a non-governmental organisation established after the 1967 Six-Day War.

The NGO is known to focus on humanitarian needs for Palestinian refugees, investing in health, education, sanitation and agriculture programmes. Gomez and Swift attended the charity event, but their silence over the brutal conflict in the Middle East has triggered controversy.

Celebrities Called On To Raise Awareness

Taylor Swift has not made a comment on the violence, while Selena Gomez recently took to social media to highlight: “I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world.”

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Pro-Palestinian advocates have consistently urged celebrities to leverage their platforms to raise awareness about Gaza. It is reported that Cara Delevingne, Zoe Kravitz and Anya Taylor Joy also attended the star-studded fundraising event.