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‘Bridgerton’ Star Touts Raising Millions for ‘Suffering’ Palestinians in Gaza, Ignores Hamas Attacks on Israel
Nicola Coughlan attending Netflix “Bridgerton” season 3 premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York on May 13, 2024. Photo: Lev Radin/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Irish actress Nicola Coughlan touted her support for Palestinians “in need” amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war at the Dublin premiere on Thursday for part two of the third season of the hit show “Bridgerton,” and also called on US President Joe Biden to intervene and take action to end the conflict in Gaza.
The 37-year-old has consistently worn a pin supporting the Artists4Ceasefire campaign during the entire press tour for the latest season of “Bridgerton,” in which she plays the lead character, Penelope Featherington. Coughlan has also helped raise $1.2 million for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) through a social media campaign.
At Thursday’s event at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin, Coughlan wore the Artists4ceasefire pin on her Erdem gown and expressed solidarity with Palestinians “suffering” in Gaza. However, the actress did not mention the fact that the raging war in the Middle East began in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel, where thousands of Israeli civilians were slaughtered or wounded and hundreds more were taken by the terrorist organization back to Gaza as hostages.
“I’m so proud of this show and it’s so joyful and fun, but I’m hyper-aware of what’s going on in Gaza right now,” Coughlan said. “I have a fundraiser on Instagram right now for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, and it’s raised one and a half million … I wanted to raise 10K. That has blown me away — the generosity of people. That’s what I want to focus on. If I get a few mean Instagram comments, I’ll live. I’m not the important one here.”
The former “Derry Girls” star, who also played Diplomat Barbie in the “Barbie” movie, additionally spoke of using her Instagram account, which has 4.8 million followers, to bring attention to the war in the Middle East. Coughlan was asked if she received backlash for speaking out about the war, according to the Irish Examiner. She replied, “Even if I have, I don’t think it matters. I am not the one suffering in the situation. Some people go ‘who cares what an actress thinks’ and I know, you’re right. But what I can do is help raise money for people in need.”
The “Big Mood” actress additionally talked about Biden and her desire for him to take action to establish a ceasefire to end the war. “I think a lot of Irish people look to Joe Biden and go: ‘You’re very proud of your Irish roots, it would be great if you could use that and apply it to the situation here and use it to help people who are in need,’” she said.
Coughlan has regularly expressed solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and has shared posts on social media about their alleged “extermination,” mentioning the Oct. 7 attacks but solely focusing on how it has affected Palestinians in the region.
The actress told Teen Vogue in April that her family lived in Jerusalem before she was born when her father served in the Irish army as part of a peacekeeping force. “He would go into a lot of war-torn regions after the conflict and try and help rebuild. He used to work with the UN on a lot of peacekeeping missions,” she explained. “My family lived in Jerusalem back in the late ’70s, early ’80s, before I was born, so I heard firsthand stories about them living there.”
Commenting on her efforts to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, she told the magazine: “To me it always becomes about supporting all innocent people, which sounds oversimplified, but I think you’ve got to look at situations and just think, ‘Are we supporting innocent people no matter where they’re from, who they are’ That’s my drive … if you know that you’re coming from a place of ‘I don’t want any innocent people to suffer,’ then I’m not worried about people’s reactions.”
The post ‘Bridgerton’ Star Touts Raising Millions for ‘Suffering’ Palestinians in Gaza, Ignores Hamas Attacks on Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.