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Bruno Mars has cancelled his Tel Aviv concert due to the recent Hamas attacks and escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
After playing his first show in Israel on Wednesday to a sold-out crowd of 60,000, Bruno Mars cancelled his second concert, scheduled for Saturday night in Tel Aviv, following the recent Hamas attacks and escalating violence. At least 300 people were killed and 3,000 more injured as a result of the surprise attack and subsequent retaliation.
“Bruno Mars’ concert scheduled to take place tonight is cancelled,” wrote Live Nation Israel in a statement in Hebrew. “All ticket purchases to the show will receive an automatic refund to the credit card through which the purchase was made.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “a forceful and continued battle will be required, in which Israel will triumph.” Diplomats and analysts, as well as the Israeli government, who expected the Gaza front to remain quiet for the time being, were caught off guard by the scale of the attack.
Israel’s national rescue service reported at least 200 Israelis killed and over 1,400 wounded following the attack that morning, according to The New York Times. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that over 230 Palestinians were killed and over 1,600 wounded in the Gaza Strip by Israel’s retaliation. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also reported per CNN that Hamas took “hostages and prisoners of war.”
On Sunday, Bruno Mars’ performance for Qatar’s Formula One post-race concert at Lusail International Circuit was also cancelled, with the venue citing “circumstances outside of our control,” and DJ Snake to replace him. Mars reportedly left Israel with 60 crew members after the recent violence. His next scheduled performance is in Florida in December.
Bruno Mars has been a household name since his 2010 chart-topper “Grenade,” with over 130 million albums sold worldwide. His 24K Magic World Tour in 2018 was the fourth-highest grossing that year, raking in about $237 million across more than 100 shows.
