Gal Gadot issues plea for peace in current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, triggering social media backlash

Israeli actress Gal Gadot’s plea for peace in her home country Wednesday created anything but that on social media.

The “Wonder Woman” star wrote that “my heart breaks” as tensions continued to escalate between Israelis and Palestinians.

“My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people,” Gadot posted on Twitter and Instagram. “This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long. Israel deserves to live as a free, safe nation. Our neighbors deserve the same. I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we could live side by side in peace. I pray for better days.”

In this file photo, Gal Gadot attends the premiere of "I Am the Night" on Jan. 24, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/)

The post struck a nerve. Some critics blasted her for using the term “neighbors” instead of naming Palestine, others called for her to be axed from the “Wonder Woman” movie franchise and still others dubbed her a Zionist, citing her mandatory two-year service in the Israel Defense Force – a requirement for every Israeli citizen.

The Israeli government retweeted her post with a heart emoji of support.

The posts and backlash erupted as a deadline approaches for Palestinian families to leave East Jerusalem homes they’ve lived in for decades, the culmination of a years-long legal fight, The Associated Press noted.

Hamas has fired rockets at Israel amid escalating protests over the evictions — and Israel has retaliated with massive firepower. On Tuesday, a 13-story residential building, the largest one in Gaza, collapsed after an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas office in the complex. The building had been evacuated beforehand and no one was injured, but two people were killed a day earlier in a strike against another Gaza residential tower.

Heavy smoke and fire rise from Al-Sharouk tower as it collapses after being hit by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City on May 12. (-/)

The death toll in Gaza rose to at least 65 Palestinians, including 16 children and five women, the Health Ministry told the AP Wednesday. At least 365 have been wounded, including 86 children and 39 women. Seven have been killed on the Israeli side by rocket fire, including an Israeli soldier. Civilian deaths have included three women and two children, one of them a 6-year-old killed in a rocket strike on an apartment building in the city of Sderot. Dozens in Israel have been wounded.

Gadot is among several celebrities from the region who’ve posted about the conflict, The Jerusalem Post reported.

With News Wire Services