Benedict Cumberbatch, Dua Lipa Among 300 Public Figures Urging UK PM Keir Starmer to Act on Gaza Crisis

More than 300 prominent public figures — including Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, and Annie Lennox — have signed an open letter demanding urgent action from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The letter calls on the UK government to end what the signatories describe as the country’s “complicity” in the ongoing suffering of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, many of whom face starvation amid an 11-week Israeli blockade of food and medical supplies.

Key Demands From the Open Letter

• Immediate suspension of all UK arms sales to Israel.

• Unrestricted humanitarian access for experienced aid organizations.

• UK government commitment to actively broker a ceasefire.

The letter emphasizes the dire situation:
“Right now, children in Gaza are starving while food and medicine sit just minutes away, blocked at the border. Words won’t feed Palestinian children – we need action.”

The signatories highlight that 290,000 children in Gaza are at risk of death due to starvation and that the blockade has left entire families facing unprecedented hardship.

Support from the Entertainment Industry and Beyond

Besides the lead celebrities, other notable figures backing the letter include Tobias Menzies, Tilda Swinton, Toby Jones, Steve Coogan, Sadie Frost, Ruth Negga, Lily Cole, and Mark Ruffalo.

This initiative was spearheaded by Choose Love, a humanitarian NGO supporting displaced communities. Josie Naughton, Choose Love’s co-founder and CEO, stressed the moral imperative:
“History will remember what we did in this moment. We are begging the Prime Minister to make the right choice.”

Current Context of the Gaza Crisis

The letter comes amid growing international concern over Israel’s 20-month military campaign in Gaza, initiated after Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel in October 2023. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health authority, the death toll has surpassed 54,000.

Despite Israel resuming some aid deliveries last week, the UN warns that supplies remain insufficient, with severe food shortages pushing the region toward famine. Recently, desperate crowds broke into a warehouse in Gaza searching for food, resulting in casualties.

Political Reactions

The UK government, alongside Western allies such as France, Italy, Germany, and Canada, has maintained strong support for Israel following the October attacks. However, some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, have criticized the scale of Israeli strikes as excessive.

In the UK, Foreign Minister David Lammy condemned Israel’s blockade on aid as “intolerable” and “morally wrong,” suspending trade talks with Israel on May 20. Meanwhile, UK trade envoy Lord Austin proceeded with a visit to Israel to maintain diplomatic relations.

This open letter follows other appeals to Prime Minister Starmer this week from legal professionals and writers, with signatories such as Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan also urging action.