'Depravity and lawlessness': U2 speak out on Israel's actions in Gaza
In an Instagram post published yesterday, the four members of U2 - Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. - wrote personal responses to Israel's actions in Gaza.
After his condemnation of Hamas' 'diabolical' actions, Bono turned his focus to the Israeli government, which he said 'today deserves our categorical and unequivocal condemnation'.
'There is no justification for the brutality [Netanyahu] and his far right government have inflicted on the Palestinian people… in Gaza… in the West Bank. And not just since October 7, well before it too… though the level of depravity and lawlessness we are seeing now feels like uncharted territory.'
He continued: 'And now Netanyahu announces a military takeover of Gaza City... which most informed commentators understand as a euphemism for the colonization of Gaza.'
He is referring here to the announcement made by the Israeli government on Saturday 9 August, in which a ground offensive that will aim to take complete control of Gaza City was approved.
'We know the rest of the Gaza Strip… and the West Bank are next,' Bono added. 'What century are we in? Is the world not done with this far, far right thinking? We know where it ends… world war… millenarianism.'
He continued: 'As someone who has long believed in Israel's right to exist and supported a two-state solution, I want to make clear to anyone who cares to listen our band's condemnation of Netanyahu's immoral actions and join all who have called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides.'
U2 bassist Adam Clayton wrote that 'preserving civilian life is a choice in this war', while drummer Larry Mullen Jr. said: 'It's difficult to comprehend how any civilised society can think starving children is going to further any cause and be justified as an acceptable response to another horror.' He added that 'starving innocent civilians as a weapon of war is inhumane and criminal.'
You can read the full statements below:
Une publication partagée par U2 (@u2)
The recent statements made by U2 follow Bono's comments at the Ivor Novello Awards in May.
The band took to the stage to accept the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, with Bono saying: 'I used to introduce this next song by saying it was not a rebel song. It was because believing in the possibilities of peace was then, and is now, a rebellious act; and some would say a ridiculous one' – referring to the U2 song 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', their 1983 track about the 1972 massacre in which the British army shot at unarmed protestors during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The singer then criticised both Hamas and Netanyahu: 'Hamas, release the hostages, stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred texts,' he said at the time, adding: 'All of you, protect our aid workers – they are the best of us."
'To believe peace was attainable between your country and ours, between our country and itself was a ridiculous idea because peace creates possibilities in the most intractable situations and lord knows there's a few of them out there right now,' he added.
UN human rights experts and UN bodies have said that Israel's military actions in Gaza may amount to genocide. The International Court of Justice has found claims of genocide plausible. Israel rejects the accusations and denies committing any war crimes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
26 minutes ago
- France 24
Macron slams Israel's Gaza plan as path to 'permanent war', urges UN-backed stabilisation mission
Macron on Monday condemned Israel's plan to expand its operations and take control of Gaza City as a disaster waiting to happen and proposed an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza. "This war must end now with a permanent ceasefire," Macron said in a statement, adding Israel 's plan to take control of Gaza City was "a disaster of unprecedented gravity and a headlong rush into permanent war." Last week, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a move that expanded its military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory and drew strong criticism at home and abroad. "The Israeli cabinet's announcement of an expansion of its operations in Gaza City and the Mawasi camps and for a re-occupation heralds a disaster of unprecedented gravity waiting to happen and of a drift towards a never-ending war," said Macron. "Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will continue to be the primary victims of this strategy," Macron said. 01:46 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office did not immediately return a request for comment. Responding to international criticism in a press conference on Sunday, he said Israel is "applying force judiciously". "Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas," Netanyahu added. "We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control, but we have two remaining strongholds, OK? These are Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi." In his statement, Macron said it was important to establish a UN-mandated stabilisation mission to secure the Gaza Strip. "The Security Council must now work to establish this mission and give it a mandate," he said. "I have asked my teams to work on this without delay with our partners." By proposing a UN-mandated mission in Gaza, Macron is seeking to build on the momentum created by his recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which set off a domino of recognitions, with Britain and Canada following suit. Macron said the UN mission would be tasked with securing the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians and working in support of unspecified Palestinian governance.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Al Jazeera journalists hold vigil for staff slain in Gaza
Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, stands with anchor and presenter Mohamed Krichen and presenter Tamer Almisshal during a moment of silence to honour five of their colleagues killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City Anas al-Sharif, a recognisable face on the channel, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were killed in the Israeli attack on Sunday. Scores congregated in an Al Jazeera Arabic studio and newsroom in the Qatari capital to condemn the killings, promising to continue their reporting on the 22-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Some held pictures of the journalists killed in a strike on their tent in Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian territory. Among those present in Doha were Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh, whose wife and children were killed in Israeli strikes, and camera operator Fadi Al Wahidi who was left paralysed by a gunshot wound to the neck while reporting in the territory. "Every time we lose a loved one and a colleague, we lose a part of this... family of journalists. This is something extremely difficult and painful," Al-Dahdouh told AFP following the vigil. "We stand in solidarity... and we take whatever action we can, but blatant attacks against international law and against everything continue," he added. The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the attack on Al-Sharif, alleging that he was a "terrorist" who "posed as a journalist". Tamer Almisshal, a senior presenter at Al Jazeera overseeing coverage in Gaza, told AFP the Israeli assertions were "fabricated" and "baseless", adding that it was not the first time the Qatar-based channel's journalists in Gaza had been accused of being affiliated with militant groups after being killed. "Israel, by killing and targeting our correspondents and our team in Gaza, they want to kill the truth," Almisshal added. In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for Al-Sharif's protection and accused the Israeli military of carrying out online attacks on the reporter by claiming that he was a member of Hamas. With Gaza sealed off, many media groups around the world, including AFP, depend on photo, video and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several Al Jazeera journalists. Al-Dahdouh explained those journalists still in Gaza "face attacks, murder, fear, hunger, displacement, thirst... after a while, we couldn't recognise many of our colleagues because they had simply lost half their body weight". "Their love for this profession... keeps them connected and carrying out this duty," he added. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Israeli strikes on Gaza continue as army prepares to expand offensive
A wave of Israeli strikes hit several areas across Gaza on Monday as Israel prepares the expansion of its ground offensive aimed at taking control of Gaza City. Some Gaza City residents said it was the worst bombardment they had experienced in weeks. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society shared in a post on X that seven people were killed and 41 were injured, all arriving at Gaza City's Al-Quds Hospital. It said ambulances "continue to transport the wounded as the shelling persists, while medical teams work around the clock to manage the growing number of casualties despite challenging conditions and scarce resources. The PRCS also transported nine bodies and two more injured people to Al-Shifa Hospital, it said in a separate post. Five Al Jazeera media workers were also killed by Israel in a strike on a press tent near Al-Shifa Hospital, drawing condemnation from press rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Further south in Khan Younis, seven Palestinians were killed in another overnight Israeli strike, according to the Nasser Hospital, where the bodies were brought. The seven, all members of the same family, were killed in a strike on a residential building in the western part of the city, according to reports. The dead included a grandfather, his four children, a grandchild and another relative. The strikes come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government's plans on Sunday to expand a military offensive into Gaza City, one of the few areas of the territory not already under Israeli military control. The Israeli army is to move forward with the operation despite mounting calls from many of the country's closest allies to end the war. The plan also faces opposition within Israel from families of the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas, as well as members of the security establishment who say there is little to gain militarily at this point. Netanyahu's plans have drawn increasing international condemnation from some of Israel's closest allies. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called the move 'a disaster of unprecedented gravity waiting to happen' and a "move towards a never-ending war" in a statement sent to reporters. Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview with domestic media that Israel has "lost reason and humanity", calling the situation "unacceptable" and "pure denial of the law and the founding values of our civilisation." Asked about sanctions, he said, "decisions must be made that force Netanyahu to think." Israel's air and ground offensive in Gaza has already displaced most Palestinians and pushed the territory toward famine.
