Bruno Mars Tel Aviv Concert Canceled After Israel Says It’s ‘War’ with Hamas

The cancelation came after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “at war” in the wake of a surprise, deadly attack by Hamas.

On Saturday, concert organizer Live Nation Israel announced in a text post on Instagram that Mars’ scheduled concert had been canceled amid the deadly Hamas attack.

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“Dear customers, Bruno Mars concert scheduled to take place tonight is cancelled,” the post read, according to a translation. “All ticket purchases to the show will receive an automatic refund to the credit card through which the purchase was made. We strengthen the residents of Israel, IDF fighters, and the security forces in these difficult moments 🙏🏻.”

The Grammy winner was scheduled to perform at Yankok Park in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, which would have marked the second of his two sold-out shows. Mars performed his first show in Israel on Wednesday, playing for a crowd of over 60,000, according to The Times of Israel.

The cancelation came after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “at war” in the wake of a surprise, deadly attack by Hamas, an Islamic militant group. On Saturday morning, Palestinian militants launched air strikes into Israeli territory, and also attacked by land and sea. Israel retaliated, firing missiles as well as fighting on the ground.

As of Saturday evening PST, the death toll has risen to at least 300, and at least 1,500 others have been wounded. According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 232 Palestinians have died in Gaza, and over 1,600 have been injured.

Saturday’s attack is being considered a significant escalation of the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine, which dates back to 1948.