American actress Angelina Jolie criticized the Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, describing the Gaza Strip as an "open prison," expressing sympathy for the people of the area.

Jolie's plea comes days after she wrote that the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas against Israelis "cannot justify the loss of innocent lives" in Gaza.

The actress and former UN Refugee Agency envoy wrote on Instagram, "This deliberate bombing of besieged populations who have nowhere to escape. Gaza has been like an open prison for nearly two decades, rapidly becoming a mass grave."

She continued: "40 percent of the dead are innocent children. Entire families are being killed. While the world watches and with active support from many governments, millions of Palestinian civilians - children, women, and families - are subjected to collective punishment and stripped of their humanity, all while being deprived of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid in violation of international law."

Jolie concluded her statement saying: "By refusing to demand a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, and by preventing the United Nations Security Council from imposing it on both parties, world leaders are complicit in these crimes."