The Jerusalem Film Festival opens in the shadow of war.

The Jerusalem Film Festival has opened its 42nd edition, in the shadow of the war in Gaza and the recent Iran-Israel conflict, with Hollywood star Gal Gadot as guest of honor. The organization of the festival was uncertain "up to three weeks ago," Director Roni Mahadav-Levin said in an interview with AFP. Last month, "we spent two weeks in shelters, trying to decide if we could maintain the date of the festival," he said, referring to the war Iran-Israel. "It was a real challenge, the flights were cancelled and guests were hesitant,” he added. Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress known for her role of the heroine Wonder Woman, received a special award among the applause from several thousand spectators gathered in a amphitheater near the Old City of Jerusalem. In its thanks, the forty-year-old actress, born and raised near Tel Aviv, referred to the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip and said to "pray that this war ends and that we finally let there be calm and safety for everyone here." "The most important thing, What we all hope for is to be able to breathe again. And that It will only be possible when all our hostages are returned home," he said, referring to the kidnapped hostages October 7 in southern Israel and still detained in the Strip of Gaza. Since October 7, Gal Gadot has been the target of attacks on social media by pro-Palestinian activists because of the his support for the Israeli army. In Israel, it was criticized by right-wing media for her pro-government stance of the end of the war in Gaza.