Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon says she is going on a hunger strike later this week with a group of five other US politicians in a bid to trigger a lasting Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Hollywood-style hunger strike for Gaza cease-fire
The 57-year-old Nixon stood outside the White House on Monday with a group of Palestinian supporters holding up signs.
She rallied: ‘None of this is normal. None of this is routine and none of this can be allowed to continue.’
Nixon, who is the mother of two Jewish children with her ex-husband, is demanding that President Joe Biden call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
She is going for five days
The actress and political activist said she will take part in the hunger strike for two of the five planned days, before she returns to New York for work.
Hoe many women and children have been killed in Gaza?
Since Hamas’ brutal surprise attack on Israel on October 7, at least 14,800 Palestinians — mostly women and children — in Gaza have been killed, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.
Currently, there is a temporary ceasefire in place while Israel and Hamas exchange prisoners.
‘We are here hunger-striking just to sort of mirror to Biden the kind of deprivation that is happening in Gaza and how he has it within his power to make a ceasefire happen,’ Nixon told a group of reporters, according to The Times of Israel.
The protest
The politicians taking part in the hunger strike, which started on Monday, are New York Rep. Zohran Mamdani, Oklahoma Rep. Mauree Turner, Virginia Rep. Sam Rasoul, and Michigan Rep. Abraham Aiyash, and Delaware State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, Time reported.
Others who are joining the protest were various faith and community leaders.
Nixon, the former New York gubernatorial candidate, signed an open letter that was signed by 260 other artists and addressed to the president and Congress demanding a ceasefire in the region, the publication reported.
On Friday, there was a humanitarian pause, and the start of a four-day truce, that began with the release of 10 Israelis, 10 Thai citizen and one Philippine citizen, according to officials.
In addition to 39 Palestinian women and children were freed from three Israeli prisons, CNN reported.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been a total of 58 hostages – 40 Israelis (including dual-nationals), 17 Thai citizens and one Philippine citizen – freed, the news outlet reported.
