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Together For Palestine, organized by Brian Eno, was staged at OVO Wembley Arena in London on Wednesday evening, September 17. Early reports indicate the benefit has already raised in excess of £1.5 million (roughly $2 million) for Palestinian-led charities and related relief organisations.
The star-studded event gathered some 150 artists and contributors — including Eno himself, Blur’s Damon Albarn, Paul Weller, PinkPantheress and Palestinian performers Elyanna and Saint Levant. Proceeds will be channelled through the charity Choose Love and distributed to partners such as Taawon, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Palestine Medical Relief Service.
Eno, together with producers Khalid Abdalla, Khaled Ziada and Tracey Seaward, announced the concert in July via social channels. In announcing the event he said that the scale of the suffering in Gaza made silence unacceptable and that the evening was intended as “a night of music, reflection and hope” — a gathering to raise funds and attention for humanitarian aid.
On September 16 the UN commission of inquiry published findings that the actions in Gaza amount to genocide, a conclusion reported by major outlets. Since the October 7 attacks — in which extremist group Hamas killed approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians and seized some 251 hostages — Palestinian health authorities have reported tens of thousands of deaths and widespread destruction, with more than 90% of homes estimated damaged or destroyed and a large portion of the population displaced and in urgent need of assistance.
The concert, hosted by comedian Guz Khan, was livestreamed on YouTube. Ahead of the show a short film featuring Billie Eilish and Finneas alongside actors including Cillian Murphy, Javier Bardem, Brian Cox and Joaquin Phoenix urged viewers to support Palestinian relief efforts.
Musically, the night blended specially arranged collaborations, solo sets and pre-recorded contributions. Eno performed new material written for the evening alongside Damon Albarn, Paul Weller, Nadine Shah, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and Adnan Jourban, and recited Khaled Juma’s poem Oh Rascal Children of Gaza. Visuals for the production were created by painter Malak Mattar.
Portishead contributed a pre-recorded rendition of their 1994 song “Roads,” while Albarn’s Gorillaz joined Syrian artist Omar Souleyman for a performance of “Damascus,” which appears on the Gorillaz’s forthcoming album The Mountain. Albarn also collaborated with the London Arab Orchestra and the Juzour Dance Collective on traditional Palestinian pieces.
Annie Lennox delivered a filmed version of her song “Why?” with amended closing lines reflecting the concert’s purpose; the reworked single, titled “Why? — For Gaza,” is set to be released on streaming platforms with all proceeds directed to the Together For Palestine fund.
Additional performances featured Neneh Cherry, Greentea Peng, Dan Smith (Bastille), Cat Burns, Rachel Chinouriri, Celeste, James Blake, Sampha, Jamie xx and Paloma Faith. Between musical acts the program included speeches, poetry and readings from figures such as Riz Ahmed, Guy Pearce, Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh and Richard Gere. Broadcaster Mehdi Hasan and Palestinian journalist Yara Eid presented a segment on press safety and the targeting of journalists in the conflict zone.
Manchester United icon Eric Cantona appeared with Mahmoud Sarsak and called for sport-related boycotts of Israeli teams, urging clubs, players and supporters worldwide to use their influence in solidarity with Palestinians.
Some artists opted to contribute spoken statements rather than perform. In her message, PinkPantheress urged fellow artists to use their platforms: she emphasized that neutrality is not an option and encouraged supporters to raise their voices, display symbols of solidarity and make their positions visible.
Merchandise from the event is available for purchase with proceeds going to the fund, and direct donations can be made via the official Together For Palestine donation page linked below.
Beneficiary organisations and information:
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Merchandise: shop.togetherforpalestine.org
Donate directly: donate.togetherforpalestine.org
