Edited by: Fern Sidman

Acclaimed Hollywood actress and former United Nations ambassador Angelina Jolie is once again facing criticism for her harsh rhetoric against Israel. According to a report that appeared on Monday on the World Israel News web site, Jolie shared a highly inflammatory Instagram Story on Sunday with her over 16 million followers, reposting unverified claims by Doctors Without Borders that accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of deliberately targeting both Palestinian civilians and aid workers in Gaza.

The reposted statement declared that “Palestinian lives are once again being systematically destroyed,” accusing Israel of resuming and expanding its military offensive “by air, ground and sea,” while “deliberately blocking essential aid.” The controversial post described Gaza as a “mass grave for Palestinians and those helping them.”

Jolie, a longtime humanitarian figure and former UNHCR Special Envoy, offered no independent comment or clarification. However, her decision to amplify a message that is one-sided and misleading has provoked widespread condemnation, particularly for omitting key facts about the Israel-Hamas war.

As the World Israel News report highlighted, Jolie’s post made no mention of the thousands of rockets launched by Hamas into Israeli civilian neighborhoods over the past several months. Nor did it address the dozens of hostages—including women, elderly civilians, and children—who remain in captivity in Hamas-controlled Gaza since the brutal October 7, 2023 massacre.

Also absent from the post was the reality of how Hamas routinely steals humanitarian aid, redistributing it for profit on the black market or hoarding it for its own fighters. This deeply entrenched practice has repeatedly been exposed by journalists, international watchdogs, and even some Palestinian civilians, who accuse the terror group of prioritizing its military goals over the welfare of Gaza’s population.

By sharing a statement that blames Israel exclusively while ignoring Hamas’s responsibility for the humanitarian crisis, Jolie is amplifying misinformation and misrepresenting the complex dynamics of the conflict.

This isn’t the first time Jolie has been accused of harboring bias against the Jewish State. As the report on World Israel News recalled, just weeks after the October 7 Hamas massacre—which left over 1,200 Israelis dead, many of them tortured and burned alive—Jolie posted another widely criticized statement on November 1, 2023.

In that post, she claimed that 40 percent of those killed in Israeli strikes were “innocent children”—a statistic not even corroborated by Hamas, a group notorious for inflating or manipulating civilian casualty numbers. Jolie also alleged that Israel was “collectively punishing” the population of Gaza, depriving them of food, medicine, and aid “in violation of international law.”

Observers noted at the time that her comments echoed the language of anti-Israel propaganda, failing to acknowledge the use of hospitals, schools, and mosques by Hamas as weapons depots and command centers—a fact well-documented by both Israeli intelligence and international journalists.

Jolie’s repeated denunciations of Israel have drawn sharp contrast to the views of her father, Jon Voight, a veteran actor and outspoken supporter of the Jewish State, according to the World Israel News report. Voight has made numerous trips to Israel and regularly speaks out in defense of the country’s right to defend itself against terror.

In a July 2024 interview with Variety, Voight expressed concern over his daughter’s political stances, saying Jolie “has been exposed to propaganda” and “influenced by antisemitic people.” While he avoided direct confrontation, his remarks called attention to a growing ideological rift between the two Hollywood stars.

Voight’s support for Israel has been rooted in his belief in truth, democratic values, and historical justice, and he has condemned antisemitism in all its forms—including the veiled kind that often emerges under the banner of humanitarian advocacy.

As the report on World Israel News pointed out, Jolie’s influence as a global celebrity and former UN ambassador cannot be overstated. With millions of followers and extensive media reach, her statements carry significant weight—particularly among young audiences who may be unaware of the nuances of Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Critics warn that when public figures with enormous platforms share highly partisan or factually distorted messages, they risk legitimizing false narratives and inadvertently empowering groups that thrive on propaganda—such as Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and numerous other countries.

Moreover, Jolie’s failure to mention the October 7 atrocities, the ongoing hostage crisis, or Hamas’s documented abuse of humanitarian channels has further strained her credibility among many who once admired her humanitarian work, as was noted in the WIN report.

At a time when Jewish students are being harassed on college campuses, synagogues are under police protection, and Israelis live under daily threat of missile attacks, the need for moral clarity is greater than ever. Unfortunately, as World Israel News reported, Angelina Jolie’s repeated statements have contributed to a growing climate of hostility and misinformation, rather than offering a balanced or informed perspective.

While her advocacy for displaced peoples and vulnerable communities has earned her praise in the past, Jolie’s recent alignment with anti-Israel narratives—void of context, history, or acknowledgement of terrorism—undermines her own credibility and does a disservice to the very principles she claims to uphold.

In the pursuit of justice and human rights, facts matter. And so does the courage to stand up for truth, even when it’s unpopular in the circles of global celebrity activism.