Selena Gomez announces social media break, alludes to ‘horror’ in Gaza

Selena Gomez has stepped away from social media as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies in the Gaza Strip.

“I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world. People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good,” Gomez wrote in her Instagram Story on Monday.

“I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt,” she continued. “That’s what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t. Love, Selena.”

Her statement comes amid Instagram users posting comments under her recent posts urging her to speak out about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a water supply “catastrophe” looms, per the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Israeli military expands its incursion into the Gaza Strip.

On TikTok and Instagram, Gomez has not posted anything to her grid since early October. The most-followed woman on Instagram, the “Only Murders in the Building” star often takes social media breaks – including earlier this year – for mental health reasons.

Selena Gomez is ‘tragically sick’ over ‘innocent lives’ lost

In a following Instagram Story post, Gomez shared how having a 10-year-old sister, Gracie Teefey, impacts how she handles news of the civilian impact of the war.

“Having a sister, everyday has made me tragically sick,” she wrote. “I would do anything for children and innocent lives.”

More than 3,450 children have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said in a press briefing Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else,” Elder said. As he called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Elder added that dehydration and psychological trauma are growing threats to more than 1 million children in Gaza.

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To post or not to post on social media

Experts warn that you should seek greater context before sharing anything on social media. It’s perfectly acceptable – and even preferred – for you to abstain from posting if you don’t know enough about what you’re talking about.

Social media infographics, of course, can be helpful resources in educating those who are uninformed. It’s when people don’t go beyond theses sources that trouble looms. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, says: “There are positive, important things that we can do with postings on social media. But the boundaries are not clear. And the abuses are quite evident.”

So if social media infographic posting and reposting isn’t the right answer, what is?

“My advice to people is always to read a broad spectrum of media outlets, including media from the region, and to understand what it is that they’re reading,” says Sarah Parkinson, assistant professor of political science and international studies at Johns Hopkins University.

“Search the outlet, read a Wikipedia page on it; don’t just go to one news source to understand any situation,” Parkinson adds. “Verify that what you’re reading a credible outlet or source. Seek out local voices and establish who they are.”

‘We need to see the nuances’:Israel, Gaza and when your social media posts hurt more than help

Contributing: David Oliver, USA TODAY