The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), who was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme in 2021, has made yet another multi-million dollar donation to support the people of Palestine as the region remains in a state of turmoil.
On Monday (April 29), the Canadian superstar set aside $2 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to feed Gazans amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that has already claimed tens of thousands of lives over the past six months, the majority of whom are inside the strip. This effort will provide families with 1,500 metric tons of fortified wheat flour, which equates 18 million loaves of bread that can in turn feed over 157,000 people.
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The 34-year-old singer previously allocated $2.5 million worth of emergency meals to the same cause back in December. As a result, he was able to deliver 820 metric tons of food parcels that fed more than 173,000 people over a two-week span.
“Hunger is a human-made problem, and as such, it is solvable. We have enough food in this world to feed everyone; all we need is the funding and safe access to make it happen. Thanks to Abel’s designation, families and children will receive the food they so desperately need,” President and CEO of World Food Program USA Barron Segar said about the contribution.
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Likewise, the WFP’s Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Region Corinne Fleischer added: “With famine looming in Gaza, Abel’s generous support will provide vital relief for thousands of Palestinian families who battle the grip of hunger every day. We are tremendously grateful for his contribution, compassion and for his unwavering advocacy for WFP and the people of Palestine.”
Tensions in the occupied territory have been at an all-time high ever since Hamas launched an attack in Israel back in October that claimed the lives of around 1,200 people. Since then, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have endlessly unleashed a series of onslaughts on the 25-mile long stretch. According to TIME, the strip’s death toll surpassed 30,000 last month as its living conditions continue to deteriorate.
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Most recently, Tyler, The Creator wore a pin of the Palestinian flag during his headlining sets the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Between both weekends, SZA took a moment to voice her support for the thousands of people who have suffered as a result of the ongoing violence during one of her shows in New Zealand when she pointed to a person in her audience and declared, “Free Palestine!”
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One of the most heartfelt demonstrations of Palestinian solidarity took place last year when redveil used his set at Camp Flog Gnaw to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. At the end of his performance, the giant screen behind him displayed a lengthy list of names of all the children who had, at that point, died as a result of the war.
“Behind me is a list of names of Palestinians that’s been killed in Gaza since October 7,” he explained. “Nobody on this fuckin’ list made it to the age of four. Not one.”
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According to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a child was being killed every 10 minutes in the strip at the time.
“It’s not complicated — don’t let nobody tell you that shit,” the 19-year-old rapper said, encouraging his crowd to take action against what many have deemed a genocide. “So listen, I’ma give you something to do, alright? I know I just presented y’all with emotion, y’all wanna do some shit with it.”
He then shared a link to ceasefiretoday.com, adding: “Go to this fuckin’ website right now. Call your reps. Demand a fuckin’ ceasefire.”
Prior to leaving the stage, he even led the crowd in a “Free Palestine” chant. Soon after, he shared the sequence on social media and called it the “most important part of my set yesterday.”
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Drake, Dave, Kid Cudi, Macklemore and 40 are some of the other notable figures in Hip Hop and R&B who have called for a deescalation of the violence in Palestine over the past few months.
