Kuwait bans 'Death on the Nile' film with Israeli actress Gal Gadot

Kuwait will ban a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's whodunnit "Death on the Nile" with a cast of Hollywood stars including Israeli actress Gal Gadot, authorities said Sunday.

The film, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh, is due for release this month in the United States. The story is one of the most famous works of British author Christie, dubbed the "Queen of Crime".

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But cinemagoers in Kuwait will not be able to watch it, information ministry spokeswoman Anouar Mourad told AFP, confirming press reports. According to Kuwait's Al-Qabas newspaper, the decision was taken following demands on social media for the film to be banned.

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Social media users pointed to Gadot's praise of the Israeli army and her criticism of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas during the 2014 war in Gaza. The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, the majority civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.

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Gadot is best known for the lead role in the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster"Wonder Woman" which was banned in some Arab countries. She has frequently come under criticism on social media because she did her mandatory service in the Israeli army.

Kuwait is staunchly opposed to normalising ties with Israel -- unlike its Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have signed peace deals with the Jewish state -- and has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause.