Altered Dua Lipa statement on Israel-Hamas conflict spreads online
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on December 27, 2023 at 22:27
- Updated on December 28, 2023 at 16:25
- 3 min read
- By Natalie WADE, AFP USA
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"DUA LIPA stands with PALESTINE! 'With each passing day, my heart aches for the people of Palestine. Grief as I witness the unprecedented suffering in Gaza, where 2.2 million souls, half of them children, endure unimaginable hardships,'" says a December 12, 2023 X post.
It was shared by Jackson Hinkle, a conservative influencer who has repeatedly spread misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war. Hinkle also posted the claim on Facebook.
The claim spread as Israel warned its war with Hamas will last "many more months." The conflict erupted when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in captivity, Israel says.
Israel's response -- a relentless bombardment and siege of Gaza -- has killed at least 21,110 people, according to the latest toll issue by Gaza's health ministry, about two-thirds of them women and children.
Lipa has regularly voiced support for Palestinian human rights and has come under fire for doing so. In 2021, she and supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid were accused of anti-Semitism in a full-page ad taken in The New York Times by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
The British singer with roots in Kosovo responded to the campaign in an Instagram story, calling it "blatant misrepresentations of who I am and what I stand for. I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and reject all forms of racism."
In October 2023, Lipa joined other celebrities in signing a letter to US President Joe Biden, urging him to call for a ceasefire in the war.
But the quote spread by Hinkle misrepresents an Instagram story from Lipa, a member of her press team said, providing AFP with a screenshot of the singer's post.
Her message, encouraging people to donate to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, said: "With each passing day, my heart aches for the people of Israel and Palestine. Grief for the lives lost in the horrifying attacks in Israel. Grief as I witness the unprecedented suffering in Gaza, where 2.2 million souls, half of them children, endure unimaginable hardships."
The Instagram story is no longer available on Lipa's official account, but the screenshot matches what was reported in news articles from October (archived here and here) and identical images of the post were captured by fan accounts (archived here and here).
More of AFP's reporting on misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is available here.
December 28, 2023 This story was updated to include confirmation of Dua Lipa's original statement by a representative of her press team.
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