The band U2 has addressed the conflict in Gaza, which the band has described as "uncharted territory."
In a statement on its website, U2 wrote: "Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza — but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory. We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand."
Members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. also each shared personal reflections on the ongoing Middle East conflict while also committing to contributing funds to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
In his own statement, Bono acknowledged the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, with 251 hostages being taken, but shared that he was initially reluctant to address the topic, not out of humility, but "more uncertainty in the face of obvious complexity." But it grew increasingly difficult to ignore.
The United Nations reported that more than 61,000 Palestinians had died in the conflict as of Aug. 6, accoridng to Variety. On Friday, the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on a plan to seize control of Gaza City, a move top UN officials have cautioned against.
"When did a just war to defend the country turn into an unjust land grab? I hoped Israel would return to reason. I was making excuses for a people seared and shaped by the experience of Holocaust ... who understood the threat of extermination is not simply a fear but a fact ... I re-read Hamas' charter of 1988[3]… it's an evil read (Article Seven!)," Bono wrote.
"But I also understood that Hamas are not the Palestinian people ... a people who have for decades endured and continue to endure marginalization, oppression, occupation, and the systematic stealing of the land that is rightfully theirs," he continued. "Given our own historic experience of oppression and occupation, it's little wonder so many here in Ireland have campaigned for decades for justice for the Palestinian people."
Bono then took aim at Netanyahu, writing: "The Government of Israel is not the nation of Israel, but the Government of Israel led by Benjamin Netanyahu today deserves our categorical and unequivocal condemnation. There is no justification for the brutality he 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."
The Edge focused his statement on asking Netanyahu several questions, hoping to engage "the conscience and sanity of the people of Israel."
"Do you truly believe that such devastation — inflicted so intentionally and relentlessly on a civilian population — can happen without heaping generational shame upon those responsible?" he wrote in part.
"We know from our own experience in Ireland that peace is not made through dominance," he concluded his statement. "Peace is made when people sit down with their opponents — when they recognize the equal dignity of all, even those they once feared or despised."
Bassist Clayton stated that if Israel moved to colonize the Gaza Strip, "it will permanently undo any possibility of lasting peace or solution for hostilities."
"Forgetting the morality of the situation for a moment, doesn't the technical superiority of Israel's modern army make a boast of its precision targeting of individuals from thousands of miles away?" he asked. "And if so why are the IDF bombarding a civilian population from the skies indiscriminately destroying any bit of shelter and infrastructure? Preserving civilian life is a choice in this war."
Mullen Jr. noted that the Oct. 7 attacks led by Hamas, including violence at the Nova Music Festival, resulted in significant casualties. Following these events, Israel and its allies called for the elimination of Hamas, with a ground offensive and aerial bombardment being anticipated as part of the response.
"The indiscriminate decimation of most homes and hospitals in Gaza, with a majority of those killed being women and children, was not expected," he continued.
"The power to change this obscenity is in the hands of Israel," he added. "I undoubtedly support Israel's right to exist and I also believe Palestinians deserve the same right and a state of their own. Silence serves none of us."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.