More than 250 global artists and writers including rocker Peter Gabriel, director Ken Loach and actor Viggo Mortensen have appealed to Israel to stop the "siege" of Gaza. The coronavirus epidemic could have a devastating effect in "the world's largest open air prison", the artists said in an online letter. "Long before the global outbreak of COVID-19 threatened to overwhelm the already devastated healthcare system in Gaza, the UN had predicted that the blockaded coastal strip would be unliveable by 2020," the letter said. "With the pandemic, Gaza's almost two million inhabitants, predominantly refugees, face a mortal threat in the world's largest open-air prison," it added. Other signatories included poet Taha Adnan, Canadian writer Naomi Klein and British group Massive Attack. 

Source: AFP