Justin Bieber Sparks Controversy for 'Praying For Israel' Post Over Gaza Strip Image

The post came five days after a deadly Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, leading to a social media uproar. Bieber replaced the post with the same message but without a photo. 

In a previous Instagram Story, he expressed, "To vilify all Palestinians or all Israeli people to me seems wrong. I'm not interested in choosing sides, but I am interested in standing with the families who have been brutally taken from us."

Despite the removal of the controversial post, many netizens remained unhappy with the Canadian pop star. Some urged celebrities to exercise caution when speaking on such matters, and others emphasized the importance of research before making statements that could affect millions of people.

He apologized but honestly that doesn’t change anything. if you are a celebrity you should do research before hurting millions of people. Hope he learns from it

— CaptainAyaAya 28 (@captainayaaya) October 11, 2023

justin bieber posting “praying for israel” using a picture of a destroyed gaza is actually insane pic.twitter.com/GNcEyhNk6V

— Hurt CoPain (@SaeedDiCaprio) October 11, 2023

In a related development, India initiated Operation Ajay to repatriate its citizens from Israel, where a violent conflict had escalated since a Hamas attack. The ongoing conflict has resulted in nearly 3,700 casualties on both sides of the Israel-Gaza region.