Bruno Mars was supposed to perform in Tel Aviv, Israel this past weekend, but evacuated the country following the surprise attack from Hamas, Billboard reports. His unexpected departure forced him to leave his gear behind and cancel his next scheduled performance in Doha, Qatar.
Mars performed on Wednesday, October 4th at HaYarkon Park in Tel Aviv and was supposed to perform again on Saturday, October 7th — the day reports began to come in about rocket and ground attacks from the militant group in control of the Gaza Strip. Live Nation canceled the second performance Saturday afternoon. The artist was set to play at Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix in Doha on October 8th, but that show was canceled hours before Mars was set to take the stage.
“All ticket purchases to the show will receive an automatic refund to the credit card through which the purchase was made,” Bluestone Group, a promotion company owned by Live Nation Israel, said in a statement.
Hamas militants killed and captured hundreds of Israelis in multiple areas outside the Gaza Strip last weekend, including at a music festival near the Gaza border. The group’s military leader Mohammed Deif attributed the attack to Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip, its raids on the West Bank, and violence at Al Aqsa, the disputed Jewish holy site. Soon after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel to be at war with the group, launching extensive counterattacks on the area and cutting off food, water, and power. Over 130,000 Palestinians have fled their homes since the retaliatory airstrikes began, and over 500 are dead, according to Reuters.
In December, Mars will perform a five-night residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. In January, he’ll head over to Japan for a round of shows at the Tokyo Dome. Grab tickets to his Vegas shows here, and his Tokyo shows here.