U2 changed the lyrics of their track Pride (In the Name of Love) to honour the hundreds of victims killed in a music festival attack led by Hamas militants.
The Irish rock back are currently performing a short 25-date residency at the new Sphere in Las Vegas and on Sunday, frontman Bono dedicated the song to “our brothers and sisters – who they themselves were singing at the Supernova Sukott festival in Israel”.
The 62-year-old told the crowd: “We sing for those. Our people, our kind of people, music people. Playful, experimental people. Our kind of people. We sing for them.
“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence…
“But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So, sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival.”
The Dubliner rewrote the lyrics to the first verse, which originally refers to the death of Martin Luther King Jr, to reference the Supernova Sukott festival attack on Saturday, October 7.
He sang: “Early morning, October 7, the sun is rising in the desert sky/ Stars of David, they took your life, but they could not take your pride,” before repeating: “but they could not take your pride” three times.
U2 are the latest celebrities to react to the conflict, joining the likes of Madonna and Natalie Portman who have publicly spoken out in the wake of the atrocities.
Gal Gadot, who served the two mandatory years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before launching her Hollywood career, also several social media posts in support of Israel over the weekend.
She penned alongside one of her posts: “I stand with Israel, you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!”
More than 900 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday’s surprise attack, including 260 people massacred by Hamas gunmen at a music festival.
Retaliatory strikes by Israel in Gaza have claimed more than 500 lives, according to Palestinian health authorities.
At least two Britons were killed in the Hamas onslaught, with another feared dead and more missing.
Nathanel Young, 20, was serving in the Israeli army when he was killed in the surprise attack by the group. Bernard Cowan, who grew up around Glasgow, also died.
Jack Marlowe, 26, who went to the same London school as Mr Young, is believed to be missing, while photographer Dan Darlington is feared to be dead.
Mr Marlowe was providing security at a party in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im when the area was attacked by Hamas gunmen.
