The conflict in Gaza is still ongoing as Israel continues their series sea, air, and land assaults. The attacks had left more than 167,000 Palestinians displaced from their homes. They had already taken shelter in its schools and buildings, following the Israeli evacuation warnings, Al Jazeera reported. The attacks has started when militant group Hamas and its allies launch rocket assaults to the populace. Israeli answered with their own offensive last July 8.
Both US President Barack Obama and the UN Security Council has already called for an immediate ceasefire to allow relief to reach the 1.8 million civilians in Gaza. Israel, however, wants guarantees that the Hamas organization will be stripped of its weaponry.
As negotiations are ongoing to hopefully resolve the conflict, it was inevitable for celebrities to share their thoughts about the war.
"One Direction" star Zayn Malik is the recent celebrity who has voiced his opinion on social media about the Israeli-Palestine conflict. And as a person who may have only wished for peace, Malik's use of a hastag has landed him in the seat of controversy as he apparently angered millions.
On Sunday, Daily Mail noted that the singer tweeted the hashtag #FreePalestine to his 13 million followers, showing his pledge of support to the Palestinians in the Gaza war. This sparked a negative reaction from the people who did not agree with his opinion on the emotionally-charged conflict that has left over thousands of civilians dead.
Malik was then bombarded with death threats and complaints following the posting of the said tweet, which has garnered over 130,000 retweets and over 138,000 favorites in just a matter of moments, according to the Independent.
Outraged Israelis expressed their disgust to Malik, even calling for him to "kill himself" or to let them kill him instead.
One of the lighter tweets read "U have fans in #Israel. It broke me that one of my idols wand me to die @benwinstone @harry_styles @onedirection [sic]"
Despite the bashing and the negative comments that the tweet received, Malik did not back down, unlike Rihanna, who is known to be outspoken and has largely stood by with her controversial posts. Daily Mail said earlier, Rihanna posted the same tweet in support of the people who have been affected by the war. However, the "Diamonds" singer deleted it after a few minutes, thinking about the consequences of her not being diplomatic with her tweet.
She instead posted a new one that read, "Let's pray for peace and a swift end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict! Is there any hope?"
Malik's tweet, on the other hand, has not been removed. However, the star has not tweeted since then.
