LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Fans are furious with Justin Bieber after he was observed sharing and then taking down an erroneous "Pray for Israel" Instagram post that depicted the devastation in Gaza.
Houses, markets, and mosques could be seen in the ruins in Bieber's shared image of the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militant group Hamas' onslaught on Israeli territory on October 7.
As per Daily Mail, the message was removed from his Instagram Stories and replaced with an identical message without the wrong photo a few days after Hamas carried out the devastating strike on Israeli people.
He simply said, "Praying for Israel," adding a heartbroken emoji and a green background.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, launched an onslaught on Israel on October 7, the largest breach of the nation's defenses since Arab forces engaged in hostilities in 1973. Israel has retaliated by attacking Gaza with airstrikes.
Justin Bieber shared written statement on Israel-Palestine issue
The 'STAY' singer already wrote about the conflict earlier this week, which led to his further criticism.
Bieber earlier wrote on his Instagram Stories: "Truly hurting for both my Israeli and Palestinian friends. Im pretty sure we all instinctively know evil when we see it. To vilianize 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."
The famous musician has plenty of company on social media, where many notable individuals have expressed their opinions on the conflict. 'Wonder Woman' star Gal Gadot is one such celebrity who has spoken out on the ongoing conflict.
One of the first public figures to express support for Israel, she shared her sorrow after Hamas attacked Israel and urged her fans to aid those affected, writing: "Whoever can, and willing to donate, these peoples lives changed forever yesterday. They’ve lost so much and need help. Only if you can."
Internet users troll and educate Justin Bieber for misleading post
Although Bieber corrected himself immediately, several individuals on the Internet caught the gaffe and criticized Bieber for it on X, formerly known as Twitter.
An X user with the username @jacksonhinklle posted, "American popstar Justin Bieber posts the words "Praying for Israel" over a picture of Gaza."
Following the tweet, a second user asserted that the popstar is not American and wrote, "@justinbieber is Canadian singer, not American"
One more user said, "Guess what, guys? Justin Bieber is *Canadian*, not American."
Another user seethed, "Apparently it's an epidemic that most celebrities everywhere are illiterate and gullible!!"
One account wrote, "Another example of celebrities knowing absolutely nothing and reposting the first thing they see"
"A simple google search could’ve saved him from this embarrassment…." suggested another one.
One user explained, "Just embarrassing. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then don’t talk at all. And didn’t he say just yesterday that he wasn’t going to pick sides and look what he’s doing now… picking the wrong side while he’s at it too…. Smh"
"Lol he deleted. But from “not choosing sides” to “praying for Israel” only is wild," mocked another user.
One user said, "These celebrities won’t even fact check before posting things to their millions of followers and think deleting it means it did not happen lmaooo"
Another user wrote, "The international super star #justinbieber doesn’t even know where Gaza is, he used a picture of #Gaza saying he’s praying for Israel i believe he should educate himself before saying such a strong statement."
