Tilda Swinton, Brian Cox, and others auction items to aid Gaza

Tilda Swinton, Ken Loach, and Brian Cox are among the British film and TV personalities contributing to an online auction aimed at raising funds for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza.

Among the auction lots available for bidding are an online bedtime story read by Swinton, tickets to Cox's London stage performance of "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" with a meet and greet opportunity with the "Succession" star, and a walk-on part in the upcoming film by director Gurinder Chadha, known for "Bend It Like Beckham".

Directors Mike Leigh, Asif Kapadia, and Joanna Hogg, as well as actors such as Harris Dickinson ("The Iron Claw"), Alison Oliver ("Saltburn"), and Aimee Lou Wood ("Sex Education"), are also participating in the auction. The funds raised will support Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a UK-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to providing medical and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

The auction was arranged by Cinema for Gaza, an organisation founded by a collective of UK-based filmmakers and film journalists: Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons.

Among the other auction items are signed copies by Loach of the poster and script for his latest (and potentially final) film, "The Old Oak"; a rare neon light from the set of Hogg's "The Souvenir"; and a "Zoom serenade of a song of your choice" from "It's a Sin" actor and "Eurovision" contender Olly Alexander.

The auction will be live from 9:00am UK time / 1:00am PT / 4:00am ET on April 2 until midnight UK time / 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET on April 12. All proceeds will go directly to MAP.

On Monday, the United Nations Security Council adopted a ceasefire resolution urging an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages held in the region. Notably, the US refrained from voting on the resolution, though it did not exercise its veto power as it had done in previous instances with similar proposals.

A report released on March 18 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the leading organisation monitoring food insecurity globally, highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. The report warned of a catastrophic situation, with northern Gaza on the brink of famine and the entire territory facing significant food insecurity.