Ed Sheeran Calls Gaza War "Catastrophic" After Dropping Macklemore Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
British singer Ed Sheeran described the war in Gaza as "catastrophic" during a Philadelphia concert, addressing the fallout after he ended his collaboration with rapper Macklemore over the latter's pro-Palestinian comments.
British musician Ed Sheeran has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding American rapper Macklemore, whom he dropped after the rapper made pro-Palestinian statements. Sheeran spoke about the matter during a concert in Philadelphia, in the United States.
During the performance, the singer described the war in the Gaza Strip as "catastrophic." His remarks were captured on video and reported by news agency Reuters, based on footage originally posted by Sheeran himself on his Instagram account.
The comments came after it emerged that Sheeran had ended his collaboration with Macklemore specifically because of the rapper's pro-Palestinian remarks. The source material does not specify further details about the nature of the collaboration or exactly when the decision was made.
Wide media attention
The concert video has drawn considerable interest, as it touches on two topical issues at once — the music industry's response to the conflict in Gaza and performers' public stances on the matter. Sheeran, one of the best-known British musicians in the world, has rarely commented publicly on geopolitical issues, which is part of why his remarks in Philadelphia attracted media coverage.
The report, including the video clip, was published on September 20, 2026, by the French news outlet France 24 in its Americas section.
