Hugh Bonneville brands Israel 'disgraceful' for blocking aid groups

Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville has spoken out against Israel’s decision to block 37 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including aid groups.

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As we’ve previously reported, this isn’t the first time Bonneville has used his status to support the Palestinian people.

“Speak up”, says Hugh Bonneville

In the video above, Hugh Bonneville says:

I’m often told to shut up and stay in my lane because I’m just an actor. What do I know? And what about this conflict? And what about that conflict? Well, I may not speak up on everything and I may not be as well informed as you, but I do think I have as much right as you to say what I think. And I think that Israel’s decision to revoke the credentials of 37 NGOs currently working in Gaza is not only disgraceful, I think it’s an abomination.

And I call on all my industry colleagues and I call on all the people in my community, and that includes you, to speak up and appeal to our elected leaders and the UN to do more than just wring their hands.

These NGOs are there to save lives. Trust me, Action Against Hunger would be doing just as much work in Tel Aviv if it was surrounded and being pounded. So I do hope that sanity will prevail and that humanity will prevail. Do what you can, say what you can.

Bonneville isn’t the only one speaking out, as Skwawkbox reported on 2 January:

Angelina Jolie is among a growing number of Hollywood stars to call Israel’s genocide what it is. In April, she wrote on Instagram that “Gaza has become a ‘mass grave’ for Palestinians and those helping them. As Israeli forces resume and expand their military offensive by air, ground, and sea on the Gaza Strip, forcibly displacing people and deliberately blocking essential aid, Palestinian lives are once again being systematically destroyed”.

Jolie was visiting Rafah to show solidarity with the Palestinian people:

Angelina Jolie’s visit comes as Israel has become the first country in history to ban humanitarian medical charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The charity is among 37 humanitarian groups the occupation is banning from Gaza. Israel continues to use weather and disease alongside bombs and bullets to commit genocide against the Palestinian people. MSF is one of the world’s most respected humanitarian medical organisations and operates in war zones and crises globally.

A pattern

Away from Hugh Bonneville’s statement, the grim truth is that even when aid groups could access Gaza, Israel severely limited their ability to operate. On 15 December, Charlie Jaay wrote for the Canary that NGOs have reported on their delivery of humanitarian aid between 10 October – the day the so-called ‘ceasefire’ agreement took effect – and 30 November 2025.

More than half the NGOs claimed that airstrikes or shelling still took place near their operations, during this ‘ceasefire’ period. They also said their work has been disrupted by the presence of unexploded ordnance.

Even as 1.3 million Palestinians need emergency shelter as winter sets in, nearly USD 50 million worth of vital aid has been blocked from reaching Gaza, by the Israeli regime. Nearly 4000 pallets of shelter materials have been refused entry to the Strip. This includes at least five million bedding items, 800,000 tarpaulins, 56,000 tents and 29,000 solar lights.

Israel’s decision to ban these NGOs is an “abomination”, as Hugh Bonneville says, but it isn’t unexpected. The repressive nation is once again pushing what it can get away with, hoping countries like the UK will ignore this and continue to provide arms. This is why it’s vital everyone continues to speak out.

Featured image via Martin Kraft (Wikimedia)