Malala Yousafzai reiterates support for Gaza despite criticism

Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel laureate, made a statement on Thursday expressing her condemnation of Israel and her continued support for Palestinians in Gaza. This comes in the midst of criticism she faced over a Broadway musical collaboration with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Critics have taken issue with Yousafzai, recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, for collaborating with Clinton, known for being a vocal supporter of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A new musical called “Suffs” is bringing to life the story of the American women’s suffrage movement in the 20th century. The show has been captivating audiences in New York City since it opened last week.

“I want there to be no confusion about my support for the people of Gaza,” Yousafzai wrote on X, the former Twitter. “We do not need to see more dead bodies, bombed schools and starving children to understand that a ceasefire is urgent and necessary.”

She added: “I have and will continue to condemn the Israeli government for its violations of international law and war crimes.”

Pakistan has seen many pro-Palestinian protests since the war in Gaza began last October.

Yusafzai’s “theatre collaboration with Hillary Clinton – who stands for America’s unequivocal support for genocide of Palestinians – is a huge blow to her credibility as a human rights activist,” popular Pakistani columnist Mehr Tarar wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday.

“I consider it utterly tragic.”

Yousafzai has publicly condemned the civilian casualties and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The New York Times reported the 26-year-old wore a red-and-black pin to the “Suffs” premier last Thursday, signifying her support for a ceasefire.

But author and academic Nida Kirmani said on X that Yousafzai’s decision to partner with Clinton was “maddening and heartbreaking at the same time. What an utter disappointment.”

Clinton served as America’s top diplomat during former president Barack Obama’s administration, which oversaw a campaign of drone strikes targeting Taliban militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan’s borderlands.

Yousafzai earned her Nobel Peace Prize after being shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban as she pushed for girls’ education as a teenager in 2012.

However, the drone war killed and maimed scores of civilians in Yousafzai’s home region, spurring more online criticism of the youngest Nobel Laureate, who earned the prize at 17.