Photo via Wikimedia Commons
The four members of U2 have each issued separate public statements addressing Israel’s blockade and ongoing starvation of the Gaza Strip. The messages were published via the band’s official Instagram account and website, accompanied by a unified preface underscoring their concern:
“Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza — but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory. We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.”
In his personal statement, Bono began by reflecting on the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel carried out by Hamas, the organisation that governs the Gaza Strip. He referenced his work with the ONE campaign, the advocacy organisation he co-founded to combat HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa, noting that “there is no hierarchy to such things” when it comes to human suffering.
Addressing the mounting civilian toll in Gaza, Bono wrote: “When the loss of non-combatant life en masse appears so calculated… especially the deaths of children, then ‘evil’ is not a hyperbolic adjective. In the sacred text of Jew, Christian, and Muslim it is an evil that must be resisted.”
Many commenters criticised Bono’s stance as overly centrist and belated, with some describing it as “too little, too late” in the face of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Others singled out The Edge as “the only one actually speaking truth to power,” praising his statement as the most direct and uncompromising in its condemnation of the situation.
The band’s joint declaration reflects a rare moment of collective political expression from one of rock’s most enduring acts. Their intervention adds to the growing chorus of global cultural figures publicly condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
