Oscar-winning actor denounces Israel for ‘dehumanizing’ attacks against Gaza

LONDON (AA) – Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem has denounced the Israeli government for committing “crimes against humanity” in the Gaza Strip and urged the international community to hold those responsible to account.

Bardem told reporters at the Donostia Award as part of the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain that Israeli leadership, under its most radical government, is committing “crimes against humanity and international law.”

He noted that the October 7 attacks by Palestinian resistance group Hamas cannot justify the collective punishment of Palestinians. He defined the Israeli attacks as “totally inadmissible, terrible and dehumanizing,” Variety magazine reported.

The Oscar-winning actor urged the US and the UK to reconsider their “unconditional support” for Israel and demanded that the International Criminal Court (ICC) hold those responsible accountable.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested in May that the Court issue arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Since then, Khan has requested twice, most recently in August, for the court to expedite the issuance of the warrants.

During the course of nearly a year, relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 95,500, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli genocidal onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.