Overview

• Madonna addressed Pope Leo XIV on Instagram Aug. 11, asking him to visit Gaza to “bring your light to the children before it’s too late” and to fully open humanitarian gates.
• WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus publicly thanked her for demonstrating “compassion, solidarity and commitment to care for everyone caught in the Gaza crisis, especially the children.”
• Framing her appeal as nonpartisan, Madonna tied it to her son Rocco’s birthday and urged fans to donate to World Central Kitchen, Women Wage Peace and Women Of The Sun.
• UN agencies and Gaza health officials report over 18,000 child deaths and record levels of acute malnutrition as Israel’s blockade and contested aid distribution deepen civilian suffering.
• Her plea joins a growing chorus of musicians—from U2 to Olivia Rodrigo—pressing for expanded aid access, cease-fire calls and heightened political pressure on relief efforts in Gaza.