Canadian superstar Drake has joined a list of artists who have called for cease-fire in the ongoing Israeli – Palestinian conflict in the Middle East.
In a letter addressed to United States President Biden signed by the God’s Plan rapper and 242 other artists and public figures they asked the President “and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.”
The letter also quotes UNICEF spokesperson James Elder as saying “Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
Drake, who recently tied Michael Jackson’s record for most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s was previously put under the microscope by podcaster DJ Vlad who singled him out for not speaking on the war. His call for cease-fire may be surprising to many supporters of the war considering that Drake is half Jewish by his mother’s side.
Not all artists are in agreement with the letter signed by 47 time Grammy nominated rapper and others because Monday reggae singer Matisyahu came under fire for his seemingly outright defense of Israel’s non-prejudice onslaught on Palestinians.
The Orthodox Jewish musician who mixes reggae, rock, and hip-hop with sounds from traditional Jewish music posted a graphic image of lions adorn in the flag of Israel with a baby cub on the ground with foxes standing beside a green “Hamas” flag with babies in their mouths. At the top of the distributing image are the words “Did you think that you would kill and steal our babies and we would not come after you?
He captioned the disturbing image with the words: “Conquering lion of Judah. World is splitting in half. We shall see where you land. Speak up. We see you. We know you. Though it might feel strange for this generation our blood knows this predicament well. We know what it is to be hated. We know what it is to be murdered. We are still here. Kicking ass. And we will be till the end of the world. To everyone who is with us, good. You should be. We’ve given you the greatest gifts of mankind. To everyone who is against us. Thank you for showing us your true colors and reminding us who we are. The sons and daughters of Israel from the line of King David. The conquering lion of Judah shall prevail as ALWAYS.”
His graphic posts and combative words have since drawn the ire of his fans who promise to unfollow him and express disappointment in the “One Day” singer’s comments.
One fan stated, “Love your music brother. I expected more humanity from you”, another chimed in with a longer caption drawing reference to his song :So now I understand that when you sing “There’ll be no more wars, and our children will play” you are talking only about the children of Israel. And when you sing “‘Cause we all lose when they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood-drenched pavement” it doesn’t matter if those innocent lives are Palestinians.”
Still another made reference to “One Day” again by saying, “One Day ain’t mean anything anymore Matis when you condone this.”
The comments from the ‘King Without A Crown” singer comes as Israeli ground forces push deeper into Gaza amid the escalating conflict on Monday and the ongoing conflict on the Gaza Strip is threatening to intensify on multiple fronts.
The one time Grammy nominated singer’s career started when he went by the name MC Truth in Bend, Oregon. He got fame after signing with JDub Records, releasing his debut album, “Shake Off the Dust…Arise,” in 2004.
As for the war in the Middle East, the Israeli military reported the deployment of additional infantry, armor, engineers, and artillery in Gaza, resulting in the elimination of dozens of Hamas militants according to the Financial Times. Concurrently, Palestinian sources claimed that Israeli forces had reached the outskirts of Gaza City.
Amid rising concerns about the safety of over 230 hostages held by Hamas, Israeli military and intelligence authorities confirmed the release of one hostage, Ori Megidish, during the ground operations conducted by the Israel Defense Forces. This development marks the first successful hostage rescue, following the release of four abductees by Hamas last week.
Hamas responded with a video displaying three other hostages, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a form of “brutal psychological propaganda.” In the video, a woman identified as Danielle Aloni, hailing from the town of Yavneh, made an appeal for the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captives’ return.
In response to mounting criticism from hostage families, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that Israel was committed to securing the release of all hostages and reiterated his determination to confront Hamas. Meanwhile, the tragic death of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman believed to have been abducted by Hamas, was confirmed.
On social media, Germany’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, condemned the act as an example of the “full barbarity” behind the Hamas attack on Israel. He affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.
The music industry in general is all divided on the conflict with several Hip Hop artists and label executives calling Israel’s offensive attack on Palestine a genocide with the hostage #freepalentine trending on several platforms. Singer Amerie posted “The world will NEVER forget this! #Freepalestine 
” and has dedicated her platform to bringing awareness to the assault on Palestine since Israel declared war on the Arab nation three weeks ago.
Corporations like Disney and Starbucks have pledged their support in cash to Israel as FT reported that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed an increase in their activities within Gaza, although specific troop locations were not revealed. Online footage suggested the presence of an Israeli tank and bulldozer on the outskirts of Gaza City, near Salah al-Deen Road.
Starbucks sued its union, Starbucks Workers United, early October after the labor organization posted a since-deleted Twitter post, expressing solidarity with Palestinians. The message from the union triggered calls to boycott Starbucks, when customers thought the union’s post was that of the coffee company.
The Israel-based McDonald’s franchise announced free food for members of the Israeli military, prompting a consumer backlash and hundreds of Google employees circulated a petition taking issue with a public letter released by CEO Sundar Pichai that they deemed was in favor of Israel, The Washington Post reported.
The IDF stated that they had targeted over 600 sites in Gaza, including weapons depots, anti-tank missile launch sites, and Hamas hideouts. Concerns about the humanitarian situation grew as the UN reported strikes near hospitals and the severe restriction of essential supplies to Gaza, including electricity, water, fuel, and food.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken engaged with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and hostage release efforts.
Diplomatic efforts are underway to prevent the conflict from escalating into a broader regional confrontation, with a warning to Iran and its proxies to avoid involvement. However, Israel’s air force conducted strikes in Syria and targeted militants in the West Bank, resulting in casualties.
Amid the ongoing hostilities, an incident in Jerusalem involving a stabbing attack and increased tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon raised concerns about further confrontations with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated significantly since Hamas initiated an attack on Israeli soil, leading to substantial casualties on both sides. The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with over 8000 people dead and thousands of families in dire conditions with critical infrastructure at the brink of collapse.
