Hugh Bonneville used an appearance on ITV News to urge the international community to intervene in Gaza and bring the conflict to an end.
Bonneville was speaking from the red carpet of the premiere for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale when he made the impassioned plea.
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After being asked by an ITV reporter about the film, he said: “Before I talk about the fluff and loveliness of our wonderful film, what’s about to happen in Gaza City is indefensible and the international community must do more to bring it to an end.”
The actor immediately then started talking about the film, giving the reporter no time to intervene.
He continued: “Downton Abbey is a lovely film and we are going to celebrate 15 years of it tonight.”
After the interview was done, the ITV News presenter in the studio told viewers at home: “Of course it’s not about the politics, it’s all about the film.”
Bonneville’s words come as Israeli forces intensify their attacks on the outskirts of Gaza City ahead of a planned major ground offensive.
The UN and its humanitarian partners have said the fresh attacks are “having horrific humanitarian consequences for people in displacement sites, many of whom were earlier displaced from North Gaza [governorate].”
The UN has already warned the ground offensive on Gaza City will be “beyond catastrophic” for the entire Gaza Strip.
The international community has widely condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to invade and conquer all of Gaza City.
This week, the world’s leading association of genocide scholars declared Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars stated in a resolution on Monday that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide.
An arrest warrant is still out for Netanyahu from the International Criminal Court, over accusations of crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war.