Penelope Cruz and her husband, together with other Spanish actors, demanded that there be ceasefire. They called for the European Union to halt the military operation that has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians.

The letter stated that Israel "humiliates, detains, and tramples on the rights of the Palestinian population in all of the West Bank every day, also causing many deaths."

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"This is a war of occupation and extermination against a whole people without means, confined to a miniscule territory without water and where hospitals, ambulances, and children are targeted and presumed to be terrorists," Bardem wrote in the letter.

Bardem is known for his political activism. He recently wrote a letter stating that the attacks on Gaza only build up the hate and violence even more.

The retaliation to the celebrities by Israeli supporters comes as no surprise. Ben Shapiro, an American conservative political commentator, took to Twitter his disdain and labeled Cruz and Bardem as anti-Semites.

Meanwhile, a Saudi princess commended the action taken by the Spanish celebrities. The princess expressed her respect to Penelope Cruz and her husband for standing up and describing the tragedies as genocide.

Cruz backtracked and stated that she was not an expert on the situation. She only hoped that there be ceasefire so as not to involve any more innocent victims.

"My only wish and intention in signing that group letter is the hope that there will be peace in both Israel and Gaza," Cruz explained.

"It will be intriguing to see if the stance by Almodovar, Bardem and Cruz coaxes Hollywood to speak up, or whether the provocative position harms the trio and its standing among moviegoers around the globe," wrote Deadline's international editor, Nancy Tartiglione, early in the week.

TagsPenelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Israel, Israel-Gaza crisis, open letter, genocide