Several Hundred Hollywood Figures Sign Open Letter to Biden On Israel: “No Hostage Can Be Left Behind”

A long list of Hollywood stars and executives have signed a letter thanking President Joe Biden for his leadership amid the Israel-Hamas war, and asking to keep focus on the hostages in Gaza.

Bradley Cooper, Courteney Cox, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Bob Odenkirk, Constance Wu, Tiffany Haddiah, Aubrey Plaza, Zack Snyder and Shawn Levy are just some of the celebrities who added their names to the document circulated by a group of Hollywood leaders who launched a website called No Hostage Left Behind. Those who are actively involved in the coalition include Gal Gadot and Amy Schumer.

“We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity,” the letter began.

It continued, explaining that as relieved as they are knowing that some hostages have been released, they are still overwhelmingly concerned over the fact that 220 innocent people remain captive by terrorists and threatened with torture and death.

The letter went on to thank Biden for his moral conviction and support for Jewish and Palestinian people.

“We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace,” the letter read. “Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages.”

Read the full letter below (the full list of signatories is here).

Dear President Biden,

We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity.

But our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered – women raped, families burned alive, and infants beheaded.

Thank you for your unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people, who have been terrorized by Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago, and for the Palestinians, who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for the last 17 years that the group has been governing Gaza. 

We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages.

We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released. No hostage can be left behind. Whether American, Argentinian, Australian, Azerbaijani, Brazilian, British, Canadian, Chilean, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Eritrean, Filipino, French, German, Indian, Israeli, Italian, Kazakh, Mexican, Panamanian, Paraguayan, Peruvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, South African, Spanish, Sri Lankan, Thai, Ukrainian, Uzbekistani or otherwise, we need to bring them home.