Ed Sheeran apologises and breaks his silence: ‘The situation in Gaza is unacceptable’

‘Throughout my career, I have tried not to be a political commentator of any sort, because I want my music and my shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue and I can no longer hide how I feel.’

Following the furore sparked by the exclusion of rapper Macklemore from his tour, after he made some pro-Palestinian statements, Ed Sheeran returns to the stage in Philadelphia and apologises to his fans, whilst also breaking his silence on the war in the Middle East.

“What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on 7 October was horrific, and adds to centuries of Jewish suffering. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart is broken by the scale of the devastation and the loss of civilian lives – the lives of children – and the systemic injustice we are witnessing in the West Bank cannot be ignored,” said the British singer at the start of his concert, directly addressing the controversy of recent weeks.

“I’ve had to make some difficult decisions, I’ve made mistakes, and I’m really, really sorry,” he added, visibly moved, to applause from the audience. Sheeran also explained that he is looking for a way to make a tangible contribution to helping the victims of the conflict, whilst admitting that he “doesn’t know enough” about the complexity of the situation.

At the end of his speech, he picked up his guitar and kicked off the show as the audience applauded. Saturday evening’s concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia was the first since the controversy involving Macklemore.