US singer Kehlani expresses unwavering support, unity with Palestine

American singer and songwriter Kehalni Ashley Parrish expressed unwavering support and unity with Palestine through several posts on her Instagram page, as the Gaza Strip suffers continued Israeli aggression.

Sharing on her Instagram story with over 15.4 million followers, the 28-year-old singer wrote, “Free Palestine till it’s backwards,” along with a video in which she urged fellow celebrities to break their silence on the attacks against the people of the besieged Gaza Strip.

“To my peers and people that are in the spaces I’m in, what the f**k is wrong with y’all?” she asked. “You’re being silent for the sake of money and business like that amounts to what the f**k is going on. There’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege on literal f**king display, and it is gut-wrenching. It is disgusting.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kehlani (@kehlani)

In another post, she said: “It’s the way there isn’t actually much of anything more important going on in humanity than this right now. This is an everybody issue. If you’re just swiping through stories and expressing mere ‘thoughts and prayers,’ ask yourself why you aren’t enraged. infuriated. I hope you feel ridiculous reading this.”

She also changed her profile picture to feature the Palestinian flag with the words “I Stand With Palestine” pasted across it. The singer, best known for her chart-topping tracks “Good Life,” “Nights Like This” and “Gangsta,” also participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kehlani (@kehlani)

During the event, she called on all her 15.4 million followers to align themselves with the right side of history. Since Saturday, the artist has remained dedicated to sharing updates about Gaza on her Instagram story, featuring posts from activists on the ground in Gaza and organisations that aim to raise awareness about the daily brutalities imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people.

Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis, and has no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out. Some 1.1 million civilians were told to flee Gaza City and head to the south of the enclave ahead of a ground offensive and heavier bombardment.

Israel previously ordered a “full siege” on Gaza in retaliation for a surprise attack launched by the Palestinians resistance on 7 October that included infiltrating Israel towns surrounding Gaza in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.

In addition to the siege, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron “against Hamas”, with strikes killing over 2,750 people, including 750 children. The majority of those affected are civilians and rights groups have warned that a genocide is being carried out against the Palestinian people.

READ: Influencer kicked out of KSI-Fury fight for ‘free Palestine’ t-shirt