Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez were among the celebrities in attendance at a New York comedy show raising money towards humanitarian relief in Gaza.
On Friday (8 December), the singers attended the show in Brooklyn, New York, hosted by comedian star Ramy Youssef. Proceeds from the show went towards ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid), a charity providing humanitarian relief in Gaza.
Also in attendance at the event were model Cara Delevingne and actors Anya Taylor-Joy and Zoe Kravitz.
While many fans were happy to see Swift in attendance at the event, the star was also criticised over her ongoing silence about the war since it began and the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
On Twitter/X, one user argued: “They literally attended an event where proceeds go to Gaza, stop making them sound as though they’ve done anything beneficial given their platform… it’s all a public image stunt.”
However, a number of social media users also used their attendance at the fundraising event to criticise Gomez and Swift’s lack of support for Israelis who have suffered in the war.
Swift attended the event in New York last week (Getty Images)
The Independent has contacted Swift and Gomez’s representatives for comment.
Gomez has received criticism for not speaking out about the conflict.
In October, the star posted on her Instagram story: “I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world.” She added: “I wish I could change the world but a post won’t.”
However, she later came under fire after responding to a fan who accused her of coming back to social media to confirm her new relationship with producer Benny Blanco, but not comment on the situation in Palestine. In response, Gomez wrote in a since-deleted comment: “You’re right.”
After Swift was recently crowned “Person of the Year” by Time magazine, the singer has faced criticism from social media users who claimed the owner of this title should be more politically vocal.
