Dua Lipa Calls for Humanitarian Ceasefire in Gaza: "Not Enough World Leaders Are Taking a Stand"

Dua Lipa has been a fervent political advocate since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. In her new Rolling Stone cover story, the “Levitating” singer has opened up more about her stance. 

“My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” she explained, in reference to her Albanian parents. 

“I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it.”

She added, “My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive.”

On October 7, the conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated after Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers. The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

The ongoing Israeli aggression has resulted in 31,497 people have been killed and more than 61,079 wounded. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence, but conditions are becoming more desperate.

The figure stands at more than 1,139 people in Israel. 

That same month, Lipa joined several other celebrities to sign an open letter urging President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

“At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost. There are just not enough world leaders that are taking a stand and speaking up about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening, the humanitarian cease-fire that has to happen,” Lipa told The Rolling Stone.