American supermodel, Bella Hadid, came out in support of Palestine in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. The fiasco which began on October 7 with the suprise and sudden attack on Israel by Hamas, has taken the lives of thousands of Palestinians, as a result of Israeli retaliation.
Hadid, who is Palestinian on her father’s side, has always been vocal about the atrocities that her people were subjected to. The model took to Instagram to raise her voice once again, and apologised for her silence and revealed the nerve-wrecking reason behind it.
“Forgive me for my silence,” Hadid began her note with an apology.
“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 added.
“I’ve been sent hundreds of death threats daily, my phone number has been leaked, and my family has felt to be in danger,” the supermodel revealed.
Despite the threats, Hadid remained steadfast, adding that she “can not 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.”
“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,” she shared.
“I mourn for the Israeli families that have been dealing with the pain and aftermath of October 7th. 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. 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.”
“It’s important to understand the hardship of what it is to be Palestinian, in a world that sees us as nothing more than terrorists resisting peace. It is harmful, it is shameful, and its categorically untrue,” Hadid adding to set the record straight.
“My father was born in Nazareth in the year of the Nakba (the displacement of 750,000 Palestinans in 1948), Nine days after he was born, he, in his mothers arms, along with his family were expelled from their home of Palestine, becoming refugees, away from a place they once called home,” Hadid stated about her family’s history.
“My grandparents, Never being 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. The practice of settlements on Palestinian land still continues to this day. The pain of that is unimaginable.”
“We must all stand together in defending humanity and compassion – and demanding that our leaders do the same. All religions are peace it is governments that are corrupt, and intertwining the two makes for the greatest sin of all. We are one, and God has created all equal. All bloodshed, tears, and bodies should be mourned with the same respect,” Hadid added.
