David Draiman, frontman of the heavy metal group Disturbed, issued strong support for Israel in a viral clip onstage after a young fan gave him a bracelet with the words "Am Israeli Chai."
Draiman is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal group, which is one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century, according to Billboard. The singer explained he couldn't stay silent on the matter any longer during a show in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 26.
He explained he has family in Israel and lost friends at the Nova Music Festival that was attacked by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attack on the Jewish state, which left approximately 1,200 people dead, over 5,300 wounded and resulted in the capture of at least 242 hostages, more than half of whom still remain trapped in Gaza.
"I miss people that were slaughtered like animals at the Nova Festival," he onstage. "Rape is not resistance. Slaughtering innocents at a music festival that brings together people from all walks of life is not resistance."
"I genuinely feel empathy for the Palestinian people despite what everyone on the other side of the equation likes to claim." he added. "There is not a single Jew on this planet that does not celebrate life. We celebrate life. Hamas celebrates death and they need to be eradicated; not the Palestinians, Hamas. We need to save Gaza from Hamas."
He warned it is a "dark time that we are living in, and there are people who like to go ahead and use our fear of one another as an excuse to gain power, as an excuse to profit off of our own misery and our own suffering."
"It’s dark times, my people," he concluded. "It is dark times, but sometimes darkness can show you the light."
Since then, Draiman has continued to speak out in support of Israel, calling for the release of female hostages and flagging antisemitism or misinformation on media outlets across his social account. He has repeatedly posted photos with signs that read #BringBackOurGirls in reference to the girls and women hostages still being held captive in Gaza.
UN FINALLY RECOGNIZES THAT ISRAELI WOMEN WERE RAPED, SEXUALLY ATTACKED BY HAMAS TERRORISTS
Draiman told Breitbart that he has normally been "very careful to not infuse Disturbed performances with any kind of political rhetoric," and instead "tries to make concerts an escape from that," but admitted that the gift from the young fan "seemed like a sign."
"I couldn’t not acknowledge her very precise, thoughtful gift without being insulting at that point, so I felt compelled to speak about it and I just went completely off the cuff, speaking from my heart and trying to address the elephant in the room, so to speak," he told the outlet. "I just did the best that I could, and I’m glad that it resonated with as many people as it has apparently so far. Who knows? I can only hope that it has a continuing positive effect."
The entertainment industry typically falls on the left side of political issues, but the Israel-Hamas war has divided Hollywood in a way no other issue has, as many celebrities have spoken out against antisemitism and the October 7 attack.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who served for two years in the Israel Defense Forces in her 20s, spearheaded a Hollywood screening of a 47-minute video of the atrocities committed by Hamas during the October 7 surprise attack on Israel in the wake of the attack. But, the November screening prompted violent protests and was criticized as "insensitive" to Palestinians.
Jewish Actress and comedian Amy Schumer, who has been particularly outspoken in her support of Israel since Hamas' terror attack on October 7, said she has lost a number of friends over her stance. Schumer also trended on X after she posted a video clip of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. denouncing antisemitism and asserting Israel's right to exist, which was widely criticized.
Gadot, Schumer, Bradley Cooper, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and hundreds more Hollywood figures condemned Hamas and encouraged President Biden to get all hostages freed in an open letter in October. Other Hollywood signatures included in the letter belonged to actors Aubrey Plaza, Bob Odenkirk, Constance Wu, Shawn Levy and conservative actor Dean Cain.
Many other celebrities have also spoken out in support of Palestinians in the weeks and months since October 7.
Fox News' Gabriel Gays and Yael Halon contributed to this report.
