Oscar celebrities accused of wearing 'symbol of bloodlust' originating from Palestinians 'lynching' 2 Israelis

The Israeli government and other critics are calling out celebrities wearing what they believe is a Palestinian "symbol of bloodlust" that was canonized in its culture from a bloody lynching almost 25 years ago.

Billie Eilish, her brother Finneas and Mark Ruffalo were among the many stars calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East who sported a pin with a red hand symbol at the Oscars Sunday evening.

"To those who wore the red hand pin at the Oscars, this is what every Israeli and Palestinian thinks of when he sees a red hand: the lynching of 2 Israelis by Palestinians in 2000 in a police station," Ofir Gendelman, an Israeli government spokesperson, wrote on X. "The murderers drenched their hands in their victims' blood, celebrating their murder. Don't support that."

In October 2000, two IDF reservists, Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Nurzhitz, were lynched by a massive mob in Ramallah, West Bank, after they made a wrong turn in the Palestinian Authority-controlled region. After rumors spread about their whereabouts at a police station, around 1,000 Palestinians gathered around the station.

One particular image from the carnage became infamous when one of the killers, Aziz Salha, waved his bloodied hands to the crowd from the police station's window after dozens broke in.

According to the Times of Israel, Salha later explained that the Palestinians present were "in a craze to see blood." As he waved his hands, the Palestinian mob cheered: "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic.

Salha had said, "We were in a craze to see blood. I entered the room… I saw an Israeli soldier sprawled on the floor in front of the door," according to court documents reported in the Times of Israel.

"I came closer to him and saw a knife