Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid, who has long been a vocal supporter of Palestine, raked in some criticism for not speaking about the ongoing Palestine-Israel war. She has finally broken her silence. She has taken to Instagram to call for “humanity and compassion” in a statement addressing violence in Palestine and Israel.
She opened her lengthy statement which comes a little over a week after her older sister Gigi was called out by the State of Israel’s official Instagram. She began,
Forgive me for my silence. I have yet to find the ideal words for this deeply intricate and horrific past 2 weeks, weeks that have turned the world’s attention back towards a situation that has been taking innocent lives and affecting families for decades. I have much to say, but for today, I will keep it short.
She also shared that she’s been the target of hate in recent weeks,
I’ve been sent hundreds of death threats daily, my phone number has been leaked, and my family has felt to be in danger. But I cannot be silenced any longer. Fear is not an option. The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza, cannot afford our silence. We are not brave – they are.
Bella continued,
My heart is bleeding with pain from the trauma I am seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of my Palestinian blood. 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.
Bella emphasized that it’s “important to understand the hardship of what it is to be Palestinian,” adding that it’s “harmful” and “shameful” that the world “sees us as nothing more than terrorists resisting peace.” She also the story of her father, real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, who was born in Palestine, and what hardships he had to go through.
Bella concluded by sharing a call for all to “stand together in defending humanity and compassion” and demand the same from their leaders.
