British pop star Ed Sheeran has publicly denied allegations that he performed for wounded Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers.
The controversy began when British broadcaster India Willoughby shared a headline on social media that read, “How Ed Sheeran brought joy to wounded IDF soldiers.”
The claims quickly gained traction online, sparking backlash against the singer, due to the Israeli atrocities committed in Gaza.
In his Instagram story, Sheeran categorically denied both claims, stating, “Respectfully, India Willoughby and any other journalist who has reported both these stories, neither are true.”
Sheeran explained that the concert in question, held in Larnaca, Cyprus, last September, was a large-scale public event that drew a record-breaking crowd of 45,000 people. He noted that tickets to the show were sourced by an Israeli charity, OneFamily, which brought 180 IDF soldiers and young adults to the event. However, Sheeran emphasized that this was not a private performance for the IDF, as some reports had suggested.
“This sort of reporting is divisive and damaging. Please research before you post things,” Sheeran added, urging journalists and social media users to verify information before sharing it.
The original report about Sheeran’s alleged IDF performance appears to have stemmed from an article in The Jerusalem Post, which corroborated Sheeran’s statement.
In response, India Willoughby defended her initial post, stating, “I appreciate the bulk of Twitter users now only read the bits they want, but you should read the facts. I said ‘reportedly’ because the type of right-wing trashy papers most of you love and DO believe DID report it. I also DID reach out to Ed at the time — but no reply. I remain an Ed Sheeran fan.”
