What did Jennifer Lawrence say about Gaza? Actress's comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict explained

At the 73rd San Sebastián Film Festival on September 26, 2025, Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar-winning actor, waded into the complicated conversations about the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the press conference, after she was asked about Israel's violence in Gaza amid her comments on her recent film Die, My Love, she said-

“I’m terrified. It’s mortifying. What’s happening is no less than a genocide, and it’s unacceptable. I'm terrified for my children, for all of our children.”

Following the October 7, 2023, attacks perpetrated by Hamas that resulted in 1,200 fatalities in Israel, the Israeli assault has since resulted in the deaths of over 65,000 and caused over 160,000 injuries to persons in Gaza, with 83% being civilians, according to internal Israel Defence Forces documents published by The Guardian.

Jennifer Lawrence on Gaza

Lawrence's comment was noted down from the press conference she attended for her upcoming film, “Die, My Love,” a thriller-comedy directed by Lynne Ramsay and adapted from a book of the same name published in 2017 by Ariana Harwicz, about a new mother (Lawrence) living in a rural environment who begins to unravel when she experiences postpartum psychosis. Robert Pattinson plays Lawrence’s husband in the film.

Acled, an independent group that tracks violence, found that since March 2024, 15 of every 16 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces were civilians and that Gaza’s infrastructure is devastated. Lawrence’s comments echo a rising number of voices - UN experts, among many - who have raised alarms about the humanitarian crisis.

While she is not a signatory of a recent pledge by over 400 figures in entertainment to boycott Israeli filmmaking institutions accused of fostering complicity in “genocide and Apartheid,” her statement expresses a similar moral urgency. She said-

“I wish that there was something I could say, something that I could do to fix this extremely complex and disgraceful situation. It breaks my heart. I just want people to stay focused on who is responsible and the things that they can do and when they need to show up and vote, and not let the actors and the artists who are trying to express freedom of art, freedom of speech take the heat for the individuals that are actually responsible.”

Lawrence's comments elicited varying responses. Supporters, including some activists and fans, acknowledged Lawrence's decision to raise attention to Gaza.

Lawrence also tied her Gaza comments to concerns about free speech in the U.S., lamenting:

“Politicians lie, there's no empathy, and everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what's happening on one side of the world, it won't be long until it's on your side as well. 

She added:

"What makes me so sad is the disrespect in the discourse of American politics right now and how that is going to be normalised to the kids right now. It’s going to be normal to them that politicians lie.”

She championed film festivals as spaces for empathy and connection, warning that attacks on artistic expression threaten global dialogue. She said:

“Our freedom of speech and expression is under attack, and I think the world of cinema and using your voice in artistic ways, having festivals like this where we can learn from each other and realise we are all connected and matter and deserve empathy and freedom, are important.”

Lawrence is also the recipient of the honorary Donostia award at the San Sebastián film festival, where her film Die, My Love, which she is producing, will be screening. 

Fans can watch Jennifer Lawrence's Die, My Love, which will be released in theatres on November 7, 2025.

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