Cannes, May 17 (RHC)-- The acclaimed Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro joined Palestinians at the Cannes Film Festival in a protest against the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinians on the Gaza border.  

More than 60 people were killed Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, by Israeli gunfire or tear gas, in what Palestinian authorities called a massacre of protesters on the day the United States opened its embassy in contested city Jerusalem.  Another 3,000 were reported to be injured.

The French-Lebanese actress Manal Issa, who first starred in Danielle Arbid's Peur de Rien (Parisienne) in 2015, highlighted the plight of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli occupation forces as she walked the red carpet in Cannes.  Issa held a sign that read, “Stop the attack on Gaza” at the premiere of “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

At the festival in southern France, dozens of people stood in a circle and held hands outside the Palestinian pavilion.  Benicio Del Toro joined them along with representatives of Palestine.

“It’s really crazy to be here with the films, with the filmmakers, talking about our future plans while our kids and families are suffering from the Israeli attack on them,” said Palestinian film producer and director, May Odeh.   This is the first year that the Palestinians have a pavilion at the Cannes festival where many countries have a presence to promote their movie industries.