Gal Gadot landed in Tel Aviv this week, and yes, the cameras landed with her.
The Wonder Woman actress turned up at Hostages Square to hug grieving families, flash solidarity, and remind everyone she hasn’t forgotten her homeland. Her visit lined up with “Israel on Hold” day, a nationwide protest pressing the government to prioritize negotiations for the 50 hostages still trapped in Gaza.
Families worry that Israel’s planned military push into Gaza City could make their loved ones collateral damage instead of bringing them home. Yet despite Gadot’s tears, hugs, and star power, the Gaza war magically still isn’t over.
At the square, Gadot embraced relatives of captives like Einav Zangauker, whose son has been held since Hamas’ October 7 attack.
She also met survivors of captivity who urged her to continue using her platform to amplify their fight worldwide. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised her presence, describing it as “a rare moment of comfort and strength” for families carrying nearly two years of anguish.
But Gadot’s return to Israel doesn’t come without baggage.
Her celebrity activism brings attention, yet she has often been entangled in controversy for it. Snow White was banned in Lebanon because of her Israeli background, and earlier films faced similar treatment across the Arab world.
She even claimed Hollywood backlash against her pro-Israel stance contributed to Snow White’s flop at the box office. Protests in London have also disrupted filming of her upcoming projects, with arrests made over demonstrations targeting her ties to Israel.
Her homeland sees her as a symbol of strength, while others abroad see her as part of the problem. And that tension followed her right back to Tel Aviv. Gal Gadot joins hostage families in Israel, Gaza war magically still not over.
