Bella Hadid has finally broken her silence.
The American supermodel has spoken out against the ongoing displacement and mass killings of Palestinian civilians in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, posted a message to her Instagram account late on Thursday where she asked fans to "forgive me for my silence." She shared that she has received "hundreds of death threats daily," including instances of her phone number being leaked and people threatening her family, since the attacks on October 7.
“My heart is bleeding with pain from the trauma I am seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of my Palestinian blood,” she wrote. “Seeing the aftermath from the airstrikes in Gaza, I mourn with all the mothers who have lost children and the children who cry alone, all the lost fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, friends that will never again walk this earth.”
Hadid continued to say that she "mourn[s] for the Israeli families" who lost loved ones in the attacks, noting that "regardless of the history of the land, I condemn the terrorist attacks on any civilians, anywhere."
“Harming women and children and inflicting terror does not and should not do any good for the Free Palestine movement," she stated. "I believe deep in my heart, that no child, no people anywhere, should be taken away from their family either temporarily or indefinitely. That goes for Israeli and Palestinian people alike."
Fellow supermodel and Bella Hadid's sister, Gigi Hadid, posted a statement earlier this month in which she lamented both the Palestinian and Israel lives lost, while calling for an end to Palestinian suffering without the harm of Jewish communities. Despite advocating for peace, Gigi Hadid still received direct condemnation from the Israeli government, who fallaciously accused her of supporting "butchered babies."
In her statement, Bella Hadid went on to detail the plight of the Palestinian people as they seek statehood, an issue that has deeply impacted her family.
Hadid then spoke of her family's history, sharing details of her father and grandmother's lives in Palestinian territory before they were forcibly expelled by Israeli settlers. Hadid's father was born in 1948 -- the year of the Nakba, also known as "the tragedy," in which over 750,000 Palestinians were violently driven from their homes in order for Israel to establish settlements in the West Bank. The settlements are widely viewed as illegal under international law.
Hadid said her grandmother was forced to flee from her home with her infant father in her arms, and that they were never allowed to return.
“My family witnessed 75 years of violence against Palestinian people. Most notably, brutal settler invasions which led to the destruction of entire communities, murder in cold blood and the forcible removal of families from their homes,” Hadid continued. “The practice of settlements on Palestinian land still continues to this day. The pain of that is unimaginable."
Hadid then denounced world leaders for ignoring the plight of Palestinian civilians as Israel retaliates against Hamas. Over 6,000 civilians in Gaza have been killed since Israel ramped up its airstrikes, while also cutting off Gaza's access to food, water, fuel, and electricity. Half of those dead — nearly 3,000 — were children.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not permitted to leave, but Israel has ordered the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern half to evacuate south. Gaza is already one of the world’s most densely populated areas — with more than 2 million people living within 140 square miles.
The UN previously described the order as “impossible" without "devastating humanitarian consequences." The stated that it amounts to "forcible transfer" or "collective punishment," both of which are regarded as war crimes.
Israel has also refused to let in emergency fuel, making hospitals unable to care for the estimated 1,000 patients receiving kidney dialysis treatment in Gaza, as well as 130 premature babies in incubators. The United Nations said that their relief agencies will have to drastically cut already underwhelming services in Gaza as of Thursday.
"There is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza that must be attended to," Hadid continued in her statement. "Families need access to water and food. Hospitals need fuel to power generators, tend to the wounded, and keep people alive."
She added: “Wars have laws — and they must be upheld, no matter what. We need to keep pressure on our leaders, wherever we are, not to forget the urgent needs of the people of Gaza, and to ensure that innocent Palestinian civilians are not the forgotten casualties of this war. I stand with humanity, knowing that peace and safety belong to us all."
