Michael Douglas makes solidarity visit to southern Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Actor Michael Douglas on Sunday made a solidarity visit to an Israeli kibbutz that was hit hard in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked Israel’s war against the Islamic militant group.

Douglas met with members of Kibbutz Beeri and visited homes burned and destroyed during the October 7 attack. Be’eri was one of the hardest hit communities, with around 100 people killed and another 30 taken hostage.

Douglas said he met hostage families and toured the scene of a musical event in which more than 300 people were killed.

He also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who presented the actor with a necklace with an Israeli ID tag and a small pin with a yellow ribbon – symbols of solidarity with the dozens of hostages who remain in captivity at Hamas.

“It’s a very difficult time. You feel the deep shock of the whole experience,” Douglas said, expressing hope that the hostages would soon be freed.

Douglas also attacked pro-Palestinian protesters on US campuses – claiming many of them had been “brainwashed”.

“When you try to talk to a lot of them, there’s no education. There is no knowledge,” he said.

Douglas is the latest in a series of American celebrities and politicians who have traveled to Israel and visited the southern area, near the border with Gaza, since October 7.