Joaquin Phoenix on Gaza
Actor Joaquin Phoenix said “There’s no justification for fucking children starving” in a speech clip condemning the Gaza crisis and focusing on the human toll rather than geopolitical justification. The clip circulated widely on social platforms over the last 48 hours. (x.com)
A Joaquin Phoenix clip about Gaza surged across social platforms this week, but the remarks themselves came from a July 18, 2025 interview on Theo Von’s podcast. (youtube.com) In the episode, Phoenix said there was “no justification” for children starving and described Gaza as “horrible,” framing his comments around hunger and the treatment of civilians. The podcast episode was published as “This Past Weekend” No. 598 and ran 1 hour 31 minutes. (youtube.com) (podcasts.apple.com) The clip spread again over the last 48 hours through reposts on X, TikTok and YouTube, including uploads by Middle East Eye and other accounts that excerpted the same exchange. Search results show the short-form versions were still being recirculated this week. (tiktok.com) (youtube.com) The renewed attention landed against a worsening hunger crisis in Gaza. The World Health Organization said in a May 12, 2025 update that all 2.1 million people in Gaza were facing prolonged food shortages and nearly 500,000 were in a “catastrophic” hunger situation. (who.int) United Nations Relief and Works Agency reports said Israeli authorities halted aid entering Gaza on March 2, 2025, and that no humanitarian or commercial supplies had entered after that point in the periods covered by those reports. Later agency updates said the blockade had stretched for months. (unrwa.org 1) (unrwa.org 2) Phoenix had already been publicly aligned with Gaza ceasefire advocacy before the podcast clip resurfaced. Artists4Ceasefire lists him among supporters of calls for a permanent ceasefire, hostage releases and aid delivery, and trade outlets reported he later signed other film-industry letters on Gaza in 2025. (artists4ceasefire.org) (variety.com 1) (variety.com 2) The legal and diplomatic backdrop has also kept Gaza in the headlines. The International Court of Justice ordered provisional measures in 2024 aimed at addressing the risk of genocidal acts and the spread of famine and starvation, and the case remained active in 2026 with additional states seeking to intervene. (icj-cij.org 1) (icj-cij.org 2) (icj-cij.org 3) Israel has rejected genocide allegations and has said its war is aimed at Hamas after the group’s October 7, 2023 attack, while aid agencies and international bodies have continued to warn about starvation and civilian harm inside Gaza. Phoenix’s comments did not address military strategy or legal claims; they focused on children going hungry. (icj-cij.org) (who.int)
