The donation to the Red Cross is the first public contribution from a celebrity since the start of the current conflict.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds donated $1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to “help children in Israel and Gaza,” a person with knowledge of the donation told Jolie Bobine.
Parents of four children have often made it a point to donate large sums of money to causes close to their hearts. Lively and Reynolds made up to $1 million in donations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and $500,000 to Water First Education & Training Inc.
They are the first two celebrities to make a public donation since the current conflict began on October 7. The ICRC has been established in Gaza for decades and has been supplying hospitals and medical centers in the Gaza Strip since the first day of the attacks.
Regarding how this donation could be spent, the organization reported that three wastewater treatment plants and two desalination plants are currently unusable due to Israeli bombing and electricity shortages. Israel cut off electricity, fuel, water and food to Gaza on October 13.
The ICRC also requested access to hostages currently held in Gaza by Hamas in order to deliver necessary supplies and connect the hostages with family members in Israel and around the world.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is stepping up its efforts to provide lifesaving assistance. But our teams will need breaks from combat to work safely and effectively,” the organization notes. “With a military siege in place, humanitarian organizations, including the ICRC, will not be able to contribute to such a massive displacement of people in Gaza. The needs are enormous and humanitarian organizations must be able to scale up their aid operations.
This donation follows $2 million pledged to humanitarian groups by Disney, $2 million by Comcast and $1 million by Skydance.
The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
2023-10-15 22:22:20
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