Mark Ruffalo has been taking heat over comments on social media Friday about the deaths of U.S. citizens Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Aysenur Egan Eygi in Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza, particularly from conservatives, such as one conservative talk show host who accused him of only supporting “innocent dead [Jews] he can exploit.”
“Neither Hersh Goldberg-Polin nor Aysenur Egan Eygi would be dead today [if] it weren’t [for] the USA’s failed policies concerning the continued siege on Gaza, Netanyahu, and the IDF’s intransigence,” Ruffalo tweeted Saturday. “If Biden had remained steadfast to American Law, his own policies concerning military aid, his ‘Redlines’ and the world outcry, his ability to use American law to leverage a ceasefire, these beautiful young people would be alive today.”
“[Secretary of State] Blinken’s comments do not meet the significance of this event. He does not address how the USA will keep other Americans safe there no matter what the circumstances may be. Eygi was protesting an illegal settlement. This has gone too far. It’s too much and it has to be addressed in good faith, finally. #TooFarTooMuchGaza.”
Ruffalo’s post also quoted a tweet from polarizing Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who had shared video of Blinken’s response to a press conference question. She added, “Complete and utter failure in keeping Americans safe.”
Conservative commentator Jason Rantz wrote on X in response to Ruffalo, “Just a reminder that the only Jews that Mark Ruffalo support are innocent dead ones he can exploit. What an absolute ghoul.”
Conservative law professor Adam Mossoff chimed in, “Mark Ruffalo went full Nazi Brownshirt. Never go full Nazi Brownshirt. (To turn an appropriate phrase from Robert Downey Jr.’s famous line in Tropic Thunder.)”
An account called “The Persian Jewess” attacked Ruffalo by writing, “Only a total and complete piece of human feces would pretend to care about Hersh Goldberg Polin after actively and purposely ignoring his existence and refusing to acknowledge his captivity for 330 days. Hey @MarkRuffalo go F–k Yourself.”
Goldberg-Polin, a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Israel, was among those taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. His body, as well as the bodies of Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Eden Yerushalmi, was found in Gaza on Sept. 1 after nearly 11 months of captivity and they are believed to have been killed by Hamas.
Activist Arsen Ostrovsky, a self-described “Proud Zionist” and senior fellow with the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, complained that Ruffalo had turned off comments on the contentious post. Ostrovsky wrote, “The coward @MarkRuffalo removed the ability to reply to his obscene post. So allow me dear Mark to spell it out here: Hersh Goldern-Polin would indeed still be alive today if he was not attacked by Hamas, kidnapped into Gaza and then executed by Hamas.”
Eygi, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Turkey, was shot and killed in the occupied West Bank while protesting Israel’s presence in the area. Two eyewitnesses told CNN that Eygi was shot by Israeli military forces.
On Sept. 5, Ruffalo and other prominent creatives calling themselves Artists4Ceasefire called for an end to “weapons transfers that violate U.S. and international law.” Ruffalo previously called for the U.S. to threaten cutting off weapons to Israel in an August editorial in the L.A. Times.
Ruffalo, an outspoken progressive, has dodged accusations of both antisemitism and Islamophobia before. During the 2021 Gaza War, also known as the Unity Intifada, the actor apologized for accusing Israel of committing genocide. He wrote on X, “I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide.’ It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole.”
The 2021 conflict was initiated when Palestinians in East Jerusalem began protesting the anticipated eviction of six families in an area of the occupied West Bank; Israeli police entered Temple Mount the next day, also the final Friday of Ramadan. The conflict lasted until a ceasefire was reached several weeks later.
In July 2024, Ruffalo was accused of perpetuating Islamophobic stereotypes when he described Project 2025 as “the Sharia Law of the ‘Christian’ crazy people who aren’t Christian at all but want to control every aspect of your life through their narrow and exclusionary interpretation of Christ’s egalitarian, inclusive, and kindly teachings.”
Sharia law is the body of religious law based on the practices and teachings of Islam. There are variations of how it is practiced throughout the nearly 50 countries that are described as Muslim-majority, and like most religions, there is a broad spectrum of both spiritual and secular interpretations of the law.
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