U2 changes song lyrics to honour hundreds of victims killed in Israel music festival massacre

U2 changed the lyrics of their hit song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” to honour the hundreds of victims who lost their lives in the recent music festival attack led by Hamas militants.

On Sunday (8 October), during the four-piece music group’s latest show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Bono, 62, dedicated the rendition of their 2003 song to “our brothers and sisters – who they themselves were singing at the Supernova Sukott festival in Israel”.

“We sing for those. Our people, our kind of people, music people. Playful, experimental people. Our kind of people. We sing for them,” the Irish frontman said to the crowd.

“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence… But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival.”

Instead of referring to the death of Martin Luther King Jr as is done in the original song, Bono launched into a rewritten first verse: “Early morning, October 7, the sun is rising in the desert sky/ Stars of David, they took your life but they could not take your pride.”

After repeating “but they could not take your pride” three times, he then led the audience in a wordless refrain.

The “With Or Without You” band’s dedication comes the day after Palestinian militant group Hamas targeted Nova music festival, a techno rave in the desert near the border with Gaza.

So far, more than 260 bodies have been recovered, though, more are expected to be found. Rescue agency Zaka said that the bodies “haven’t all been collected yet”.

At least 10 British citizens are reported to be feared dead or missing in Israel. British citizen Jacob Marlowe is also among the missing.

U2 join other celebrities, including Madonna and Natalie Portman, who have reacted to the deadly conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel.

At least 800 people have reportedly been killed in Israel, local media has reported, and almost 500 have been killed in Gaza with thousands wounded. Palestinian militants claimed to be holding over 130 captives.

Follow The Independent’s live blog of the Israel-Hamas conflict here.