‘Stranger Things’ star Noah Schnapp addresses controversial Israel post claiming ‘Zionism is sexy’

Noah Schnapp, who portrayed Will Byers on hit Netflix show “Stranger Things,” shared a statement Monday , after receiving heavy criticism online for a video which . Schnapp, a New York City native who was raised Jewish, found himself at the center of controversy after a video from November resurfaced of him and friends laughing, Many online reacted to what they considered to be Schnapp making light of the .

“Anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostilities on both sides,” the 19 year old clarified in a TikTok video shared with his 32 million followers on Monday. “I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe,” Schnapp said.

He added that he wants peace in the region and is “against any killing of any innocent people,” noting that he has “learned a lot” from talking with his Palestinian friends. Later in the video, Schnapp encouraged those online to be more kind and understanding to one another. “We are all human and we are all the same, and we should all love each other for that and support each other and stand together,” he said.

Meanwhile, the conflict in Gaza continues, more than three months after . Both Hamas and ISIS are considered to be foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, but Israel’s response to the attack and large scale military offensive in the region have led to the country defending itself against.