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As the crisis in Gaza continues to escalate in violence, Kehlani took to Instagram to criticize her peers for not speaking up.
In a clip posted Monday, the “Distraction” singer expressed disdain for her “highly platformed” peers in the music industry who don't speak out about the war between Israel and Hamas. “And you can't even stop for a second and realize that everything we do means nothing without the people, and you can't even turn around and reach out to the people? You can't even speak up? It's disgusting,” she says in the clip.
Kehlani noted that she has lost “total respect” for those who did not speak up: “This is going to go in the history books. … This is going to be talked about forever.”
“I hate you guys too,” Kehlani concluded.
In the caption, the star expanded on their thoughts. “I can't take it anymore. I've tried so many ways to cope but it didn't work. And that's ok. Who knows how to cope now,” she wrote. “I tried listening to music to calm myself down and it helped me focus again. But the anger is so rampant. This shit is messing me up. It's messing me up all the time. You guys should be messing up too but apparently you aren't???? What's up everyone??? Shows don't sell out without full houses. Songs don't hit without people. Trends don't take off without people. Do we draw the line at decapitated babies and people burned alive after 7 months of so many atrocities? I don't care about formulas and strategies and algorithms deployed. At this point I'm begging you to just be people. Live like a human being.”
Kehlani's post came the day after Israel launched a missile attack on Rafah, hitting a Palestinian displaced camp in Tal as-Sultan, an area Israel has reportedly designated a “safe zone.” The attack killed dozens of people and injured at least 249, many of them civilians, including women and children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said civilians were hit “unintentionally.”
The attack came shortly after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its military attacks on Rafah. Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have been ongoing since October and have killed more than 35,000 people, according to Reuters. The Gaza Ministry of Health said on May 24 that more than 80,200 Palestinians had been injured in the attacks.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, leaving an estimated 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages taken. About half of the hostages have since been released, according to the Associated Press.
Check out Kehlani's full message below.