Gal Gadot hit with fierce backlash over Israel-Gaza statement

Gal Gadot has come under fire after posting an impassioned statement about the crisis engulfing the Middle East.

The actress shared a post on Twitter and Instagram calling for unity and peace as the violence between Israeli and Palestinian forces intensified.

On Wednesday, rockets were fired from Gaza while Israeli forces pummelled the territory with air strikes in the most serious fighting since the 50-day war in 2014.

The Wonder Woman star, 36, who is from Israel and previously carried out mandatory service for her country’s army, said that seeing her country “at war” was breaking her heart, as she called for an end to the “vicious cycle.”

But critics quickly seized on her military history, accusing her of supporting “mass genocide” and “ethnic cleansing”.

The comments on both her tweet and Insta post got so bad, she had to disable the reply function.

Her message read:

Those condemning the 36-year-old have accused her of hypocrisy, highlighting accusations that she has promoted pro-Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) messaging in the past.

One Twitter user wrote:

Others commented:

According to one internet sleuth, fellow actress Brie Larson went as far as to unfollow Gadot on Instagram:

Meanwhile, scores of other social media users leapt to the 36-year-old’s defence, supporting her prayers for peace and pointing out that military service is compulsory for all Israelis aged over 18.

US Journalist Greg Price wrote:

While author Oliver Kamm said:

Republican Senator Ted Cruz also stepped in to offer Gadot his backing:

The Justice League star is just one of many celebrities to take a stance on the conflict in the region.

Bella and Gigi Hadid, who are half-Palestinian, are among those to speak out against the violence being suffered by Palestinians and Arab Israelis.

Bella has shared more than a dozen posts via Instagram in support of the Palestinians’ plight, using the hashtag “Free Palestine.”

“If you don’t think this is wrong, regardless of who you are and where you come from, there is a problem with how you see humanity and Palestinians. This is on you. Not them,” she wrote in one caption.

Her on-off boyfriend The Weeknd and Dua Lipa – who is dating the Hadid sisters’ brother Anwar – have also shared their support.

Lipa used the #SaveSheikhJarrah hashtag on her Instagram Stories over the weekend in reference to a Jerusalem neighborhood that is home to many Palestinians, while The Weeknd wrote “protect Jerusalem” in support of displaced members of the community.

Elsewhere, world leaders including Boris Johnson have called for an “urgent de-escalation of tensions.”

The UK Prime Minister said on Wednesday: “I am urging Israel and the Palestinians to step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint.

“The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions.”

At least 67 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, according to the enclave’s health ministry, while seven people have been killed in Israel.

But as Israeli forces prepared to ground troops along the Gaza border on Thursday, and Hamas launched rocket barrages at southern Israel, there appears no end in sight to the region’s fiercest hostilities in years.