Together for Palestine, a fundraising event described as the biggest of its kind in the UK, has raised more than £1.6m ($2.2m).

Wednesday’s concert saw dozens of singers, actors and others gather in London for a mixture of musical performances, speeches and addresses from doctors and journalists working in Gaza.

The total raised has climbed from £1.4m since the event concluded.

Organisers said the show at Wembley Arena, attended by about 12,000 people, was streamed live by more than 200,000 viewers. It says it will donate its proceeds to organisations working to help Palestinian people.

Celebrities including Florence Pugh, Benedict Cumberbatch and Louis Theroux addressed the crowd at the event.

It also featured performances from singers Cat Burns and Bambie Thug as well as a montage of video messages that included actor Cillian Murphy and popstar Billie Eilish.

BBC Newsbeat was at the event, and asked some of the stars attending why they felt it was important to be there.

Actor Bilal Ali Hasna, whose father is Palestinian, said he was there to “stand against” Israeli conduct in Gaza.

Israel launched military action in response to the Hamas-led attack on the Nova music festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, where 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

Since then, at least 65,141 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry says another 435 people have so far died during the war as a result of malnutrition and starvation.

Israel’s politicians and military leaders say it is acting in self-defence and working to destroy Hamas, as well as securing the release of remaining Israeli captives.

Bilal tells Newsbeat he believes Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza – a view echoed by a United Nations commission of inquiry that reported its findings this week.

Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the report and denounced it as “distorted and false”.

But Bilal believes there is a “growing consensus” that artists shouldn’t be silent “when it comes to speaking about freedom for Palestine”.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how this environment is created,” he says.

“But there is an environment in the cultural sphere where artists specifically feel scared to talk about this issue.

“They feel scared about hurting communities and they feel scared about saying the wrong thing.”

Others at the gig think that things seem to be changing.

“This concert may not have been able to happen a year ago,” Bridgerton actress Charithra Chandran tells BBC Newsbeat.

Actress Jameela Jamil believes there has been a “stigma attached to the subject of Palestine”, but being able to stage a concert in support of the cause suggests public opinion is at a turning point.

“So many turning up and being willing to stand up for what’s right shows that there is a shift in the tolerance people have for watching this injustice continue,” she says.

“This is an historic moment.”

Many high-profile figures have been criticised for staying silent on Gaza, but some who have weighed in have faced consequences.

Shortly after the conflict began, actress Melissa Barrera was fired from film sequel Scream 7 over social media posts criticising Israel.

Others who have expressed support for Israel, such as Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp and actress Gal Gadot, have been targets of protests and calls for boycotts.

Charithra says she has felt nervous about speaking out and the potential effect on her career, but adds: “There are people dying, concerns for myself are irrelevant compared to what’s happening.

“I have a platform, and I need to use it for what is right.”

Her comments come after a number of celebrities at this week’s Emmy Awards made statements in support of Palestinian people.

Some of them were also among 4,000 signatures on a letter calling for a boycott of Israeli production companies, festivals and broadcasters “that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

The CEO of the Israeli Film and TV Producers Association called the petition “profoundly misguided”.

Israel also faces cultural and sporting boycotts that have been compared with measures used to pressure South Africa to end apartheid in the early 1990s.

Several countries have threatened to withdraw from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel, which has participated since 1973, is allowed to take part.

Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iceland and, most recently, Spain, have all said they will not participate if Israel is allowed to.

It follows protests against 2025 Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael and 2024 performer Eden Golan, who said she received death threats.

Bambie Thug, who placed sixth for Ireland with song Doomsday Blue at 2024’s contest, says she’s proud of her country for taking a stand.

“I 100% feel the UK should follow suit, I don’t know what artist would want to represent the UK this year,” she says.

Criticism of Together for Palestine has tended to suggest that celebrities and singers shouldn’t get involved with politics or complex causes.

But singer Cat Burns tells Newsbeat that events like this are valuable, and believes they can raise further awareness.

“I think it can spark a lot of change,” she says.

“If people see their favourite artist here maybe that will spark people to do some research and support as well.

“I think it’s massively important”

But, Cat adds, speaking out is a personal choice.

“I think every artist is their own person and they’re going to choose what is right and comfortable for them.”

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