Selena Gomez Is in Hot Water

Since Hamas' shock attack on Israel earlier this month, celebrities have been sharing their thoughts on the conflict—to mixed reactions online.

The latest of the famous faces to find themselves in hot water due to their remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict is Selena Gomez. The 31-year-old actress and beauty mogul posted to her Instagram Stories on October 30, explaining why she'd chosen not to comment on the matter.

On October 7, Hamas launched the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel ever. Israel subsequently carried out large-scale air strikes on the Gaza Strip. As of October 31, at least 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, while more than 8,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The Only Murders in the Building star said she'd taken a social media break amid the conflict, as her "heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that's going on in the world."

"People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any group is horrific," the statement read. "We need to protect all people, especially children, and stop the violence for good."

She continued: "I'm sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag.

"I just can't stand by innocent people [getting] hurt. That's what makes me sick."

Concluding her post, Gomez said: "I wish I could change the world, but a post won't."

However, a number of social media followers took issue with the Rare Beauty founder's claim that a post won't "change the world," considering the size of her platform. Gomez currently has over 430 million followers on Instagram and 66.6 million subscribers on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Newsweek has reached out to Selena Gomez for comment via email.

"Shame on you Selena Gomez. You have 430 million followers yet people with less followers be doing so much more," said Sarah Mustafa.

"You've been giving one of the biggest platforms on social media and this is what you do with it?," asked maia.

"Prioritizing your mental health over sharing awareness on a genocide? really selena?" wrote layan.

"Only selena gomez would find a way to make a genocide about herself," said @emer7ldgrl, while Jav accused the former Disney star of "downplaying her massive following and being hypocritical."

"If a post can't help change the world why call yourself a philanthropist??" they asked. "Why post about mental health, blm, womens rights, american elections etc etc."

Some users were offended that Gomez chose to remain impartial with her post, with Ziggler declaring: "This is the saddest excuse of a Instagram story that I've ever seen."

"You can't even defend palestine you take a 'neutral' stance to save face," said Dul.

"Selena Gomez is literally the 3rd most followed person on Instagram with almost half a BILLION followers. A post WILL make a difference," wrote Phoebe Shafinaz.

"This is why I'm annoyed when celebs make a 'neutral' statement. They do it only because of their reputation. Not because they genuinely care."

"Yes, a post won't save the world, but it can help," commented ani. "It can help bring awareness. and you're just choosing not to do anything."

However, other users defended the singer, with laura writing: "Selena is the only person people are dragging for being neutral and standing for humanity."

"The more people hate Selena the more I love her," agreed @pvssytalk.

"Enjoy your self selena, these keyboard worriers will find fault in what ever you do weather it's right or wrong," said another user.

"I'm sorry, but many celebrities are celebrating Halloween and having fun, but Selena understands people's sadness and becomes the one receiving hate again," commented sevval.

Other celebrities to come under fire for their comments on the Israel-Palestinian conflict include Mia Khalifa, with the former adult film star losing her podcasting contract with Playboy after calling Hamas "freedom fighters" on social media on October 7.

Justin Bieber was mocked online after sharing a picture of war-torn Gaza with the caption "Praying for Israel," while Jewish Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp was slammed for writing "You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism" on Instagram.

Model Bella Hadid—whose father is Palestinian-American real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid—recently shared that she'd received death threats due to her previous support for Palestinians, while actor Mark Ruffalo was recently called a "typical out of touch liberal" for sharing a petition to "End Child Bloodshed" amid the conflict.