Mark Ruffalo's Israel-Hamas War Remark Takes Internet by Storm

A social-media post in which Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo wrote about the recent rescue of four Israeli hostages has gone viral.

Avengers star Ruffalo, who has spoken out against Israel's military action in the region over a number of years, has been actively posting online throughout the country's ongoing conflict with Hamas.

On Sunday, Ruffalo weighed in on the announcement by Israeli authorities the day before that four Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel had been rescued. On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. The Israelis later launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Ruffalo described the rescue of the hostages as a "release," while saying that a ceasefire would likely have achieved an even better result with fewer Palestinian casualties.

"It's so good to see the hostages returned," the screen star wrote. "A ceasefire would have gotten many more hostages back and no civilians and children killed. This siege is cruel and senseless. Grinding innocent human beings and their culture into blood soaked rubble and dust, to be buried and forgotten. 4 for 274 including kids. It's a sinful equation that keeps repeating."

As of press time, the post has garnered more than 3.5 million views. Newsweek has contacted a representative of Ruffalo via email for comment.

The Gaza Health Ministry says that at least 274 Palestinians, including 64 children, were killed during the Israeli operation to rescue the hostages.

In the daytime rescue operation of Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, from two locations near Nuseirat, a dense central Gaza refugee camp, nearly 100 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded, according to The Associated Press. Their bodies were reportedly taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

The Gaza Health Ministry, a department within the Hamas-controlled government, said that, in addition to the 64 children killed, 57 women were killed in the latest raid. Nearly 700 were wounded, including 153 children and 161 women.

Newsweek has not been able to confirm the figures and is monitoring incoming reports with details of the operation. An Israel Defense Force (IDF) spokesperson told Newsweek in a Saturday email that "the number of casualties remains unknown at this stage."

Ruffalo's post divided opinion, with one X user responding: "Ah, except the hostages were not returned, were they Mark? The hostages were rescued."

"They weren't 'returned,' Mark. They were rescued," read another post. "And they were taken hostage by Hamas DURING a ceasefire in the first place."

A number of other X users shared Ruffalo's views. "They were IDF soldiers which makes them prisoners of war and not hostages," wrote one. "The 10,000+ Palestinians held in Israeli prisons (many children) without trial are hostages."

"Thank you Mark for using your voice and being on the right side of history," another commented in response to Ruffalo's post.

The four hostages were taken after Hamas gunmen stormed the Nova open-air music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where more than 350 people were killed, according to Israeli authorities.

All four hostages rescued on Saturday were safely evacuated via helicopter to their family. According to the Israel's police, an Israeli commander was killed during the operation.

The past few months have witnessed record levels of violence and destruction, with nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced and over 36,700 killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The eight-month conflict has also seen the spread of disease, starvation, and mass death and displacement.

On Saturday, an IDF spokesperson told Newsweek in an email: "We advise the media not to use information from the Hamas terrorist organization's propaganda machine. This operation is solid proof of the fact that Hamas is hiding behind civilians and is holding hostages in the midst of densely-populated civilian areas.

"The IDF has an obligation to bring our hostages back home and we are determined to do so while operating in accordance with international law and the values of the IDF," the statement continued. "Every loss of civilian life is a tragedy—a tragedy that Hamas brought upon us all. The IDF will continue to take all feasible measures in order to minimize civilian casualties, while maintaining its efforts to rescue all the hostages and dismantling the terrorist [organization] that uses civilians as a human shield."

Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for committing war crimes.

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