Shawn Mendes has issued his most direct statement yet on the war in Gaza, calling on fellow musicians to use their platforms to speak up.
In a post shared on Instagram on Thursday (12 November), the Canadian singer opened with the words “FREE PALESTINE”. “There is a genocide happening before our eyes,” he wrote. “The senseless killing in Gaza must stop. The children and families in Palestine have suffered for far too long, and they need our help.”
Mendes said he had been educating himself to understand where and how he could make a difference. He encouraged followers to support organisations including the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Watermelon Pictures and the Woven Futures Fund.
Speaking directly to other artists, he said that speaking out can be frightening. “I feel it now as I type this,” he wrote, before urging others to “find your courage”. He ended with a call to “normalize speaking up and standing up for those suffering from oppression.”
The statement goes further than his earlier comments. At a Lisbon concert in August 2025, Mendes said Gaza broke his heart and also condemned antisemitism. In January he performed at a Los Angeles fundraiser for Palestinians and Sudanese civilians.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, cited by the Associated Press, says more than 74,000 people have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people. A ceasefire was agreed in October 2025. Reuters reports that about 1,600 more Palestinians have been killed since then, as Israeli strikes on Hamas continue.
A UN commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel’s actions amount to genocide. Israel and its allies, including the United States, reject that finding.
Mendes joins a growing list of stars, including Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Mark Ruffalo and Macklemore, who have publicly called for an end to the killing in Gaza.
