Le Clézio, Maïwenn, Alex Lutz, Fianso... They ask Macron to act for “a ceasefire” in Gaza

The actors Lyna Khoudri, Maïwenn, Alex Lutz, the Nobel Prize for Literature J. M. G. Le Clézio: dozens of cultural personalities plead for “a permanent and immediate ceasefire” in an open letter Thursday to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. “We, of all origins and all faiths, united by the condemnation of this catastrophe, (...) ask you to do everything possible to ensure that this massacre stops,” they write.

Israel has promised to destroy Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel, in retaliation for the unprecedented attack carried out on October 7 by the Islamist movement on its soil, which killed around 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on the Israeli toll. Around 250 people were also taken hostage, of whom 129 are still detained in Gaza, according to Israel. The Hamas government announced Wednesday that Israeli military operations had left 20,000 dead in Gaza since the start of the war, including at least 8,000 children and 6,200 women.

“There is still time to save the living and beating hearts of Gaza, and with them, the humanity of all of us,” they add in the letter, published on culturepouruncessezlefeu.org and taken up by the magazine Télérama. “This letter calls you to your duty. We will rise, we will demonstrate, we will write, we will challenge, we will come together, until there are signs of a new day.”

The signatories say they are “horrified by the death of more than 19,000 Palestinians including more than 7,000 children and by the unacceptable policy of apartheid implemented by the Israeli government in Palestine”, as well as “by the death of more than 1,200 Israelis October 7 (in the Hamas attack) and the hostage-taking, for which we call for their immediate return.”

“We demand equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians (...) We unanimously condemn hatred, wherever it is, and whoever it affects. We unreservedly reject Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, both of which feed the same abysses,” they continue. Among the other signatories are the actor Tahar Rahim, the actress Virginie Efira, the singer Izïa Higelin and the rapper Sofiane Zermani (Fianso).