Bella Hadid given portrait of her father Mohamed by Lebanese artist for her 26th birthday

The supermodel was handed the painting by Said Elatab while out for dinner in New York

Bella Hadid received a portrait of her father Mohamed, painted by Lebanese artist Said Elatab, as a present for her 26th birthday.

The supermodel was handed the gift by Elatab during a dinner date with her boyfriend, Marc Kalman, in New York on Monday.

The portrait shows Mohamed, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, set against the backdrop of his native Palestine.

The supermodel happily posed for a picture with her gift, which Elatab then posted on Instagram.

“My painting of Mohamed Hadid, father of Bella Hadid, as gift from me for her birthday,” he wrote.

While Elatab now lives in Paterson, New Jersey, much of his art is inspired by his Middle Eastern roots.

Hadid is a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, and often uses her platform to promote activism.

She has also spoken of the professional cost of being so vocal. In an interview on the podcast Rep, hosted by Libyan-American journalist Noor Tagouri, in August, Hadid said: “When I was 14, I wrote: ‘Free Palestine,’ on my hand literally with flowers in paint. And I was being called names."

She added that she was "blasted" as someone who was showing "hate" for others.

She also said that despite being told that her father was a liar, and being “called a terrorist by the head of the football team", she was not deterred from connecting with her Palestinian heritage.

“I never knew who Bella actually was until I reconnected with my Palestinian side,” she said.

“When I speak about Palestine, I get labelled as something that I’m not,” she said. “But I can speak about the same thing that’s happening there, happening somewhere else in the world, and that’s honourable. So, what’s the difference?”

The model also recently made her acting debut on the Hulu original show Ramy, starring Egyptian-American comedian Ramy Youssef.

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Updated: October 11, 2022, 10:31 AM