Mark Ruffalo slams US government after Israel shoots dead American activist

US actor Mark Ruffalo has slammed ongoing US support for Israel following the recent deaths of six Israeli captives held by Hamas, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and the fatal shooting of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

Ruffalo on Saturday condemned Washington's "failed policies" in the region in a now-deleted tweet, which he blamed for the deaths of both Goldberg-Polin and Ezgi Eygi. 

The Hulk star cited the US government's unwavering support for Israel during the war on Gaza - which has killed at least 40,972 Palestinians - and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as proof of its complicity in the deaths of the two Americans.

"If [US President Joe] Biden remained steadfast to American law concerning military aid, his ‘red lines’ and the world outcry, his ability to use American law to leverage a ceasefire, these beautiful, young people would be alive today," Ruffalo continued. 

Following criticism of Ruffalo's tweet by supporters of Israel, the Oscar-nominated actor wrote a follow-up post on Monday to clarify his stance. 

"I have deleted my earlier tweet, as I felt it was insensitive to the Goldberg-Polin family. Words have consequences and we all need to be held accountable," Ruffalo wrote on X. 

"So many of us all want the very same thing -- for the violence and bloodshed to end. And no number of innocent Israelis or Palestinians can ever be an acceptable element of collateral damage."

Other users defended Ruffalo, saying the deaths of Goldberg-Polin and Ezgi Eygi's deaths showed how the Israeli government's obstruction of Gaza ceasefire talks has led to more unnecessary loss of life. 

"Blame the [Israeli] occupation, blame apartheid, blame making people refugees in their own land, blame the visionless leaders who didn't make peace much earlier, blame the military industrial complex, blame AIPAC with their blind support," one X user wrote. 

Goldberg-Polin was one of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered by Israeli troops last month, after they were allegedly executed by Hamas.

Eygi, an American activist, was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces on Friday while taking part in a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita. 

Ruffalo joined other Hollywood stars - including Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon, and Ilana Glazer - as part of the Artists4Ceasefire collective to call for a halt to US arms sales to Israel.