Bella Hadid stands 'with humanity' in first Israel-Gaza comments

Palestinian-American supermodel says she is mourning loss of Palestinian and Israeli lives

Bella Hadid, seen here at an event in Qatar in 2022, has issued her first comments on the war. AFP

Model Bella Hadid on Thursday made her first public comments on the Israel-Gaza war, writing in an Instagram post that she is mourning the loss of people on both sides.

“Seeing the aftermath from the air strikes 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,” she said.

Hadid is known for her vocal support of Palestine. Her Palestinian father was born in Nazareth and he and his family fled following the foundation of Israel in 1948.

The first slide of her social post is a video mash-up that features a person wearing a keffiyeh singing Lorde's Team, along with older clips of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Her second slide features a text statement.

“I mourn for the Israeli families that have been dealing with the pain and aftermath of October 7th,” she said.

“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.”

In the past, Hadid has posted on Instagram about Palestine, including calling out the social platform for allegedly “shadow banning” her posts.

Israel has instigated a siege against Gaza, with daily aerial bombardment after Hamas militants launched a deadly attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip. About 1,400 people were killed and roughly 220 were taken hostage.

“Wars have laws – and they must be upheld, no matter what,” Hadid wrote.

“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.”

The Gaza health ministry on Thursday said at least 6,700 Palestinians have been killed so far.

Hadid called on the international community to address the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, and to provide necessities such as fuel for hospitals and food and clean water for civilians.

“I stand with humanity, knowing that peace and safety belong to us all,” she concluded.

Her sister Gigi Hadid posted a statement earlier this month and many fans wondered whether Bella Hadid would say something about the war.

At the beginning of Bella's post, she said: “Forgive me for my silence.”

She shared that she has received death threats, with her phone number publicly leaked, as the reason for the delay in commenting on the violence.