Bella Hadid's Statement on Israel-Hamas Conflict Divides Internet

As the daughter of Palestinian-American real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, Bella Hadid has long expressed support for Palestinians—even losing work and relationships over the topic.

However, the 27-year-old's latest comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have divided people online, with some users supporting the model and others accusing her of failing to take a clear stand.

On October 7, Hamas led a surprise attack on Israel by land, sea and air. Israel subsequently launched airstrikes on Gaza. As of October 27, at least 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, while 7,028 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

After the initial attacks by Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is "at war" and has suspended supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into the Gaza Strip. The 74-year-old has pledged to "demolish Hamas," while the Israeli military has instructed 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to move to the south.

Despite her past support of Palestinians, Hadid remained quiet on the current conflict until October 26, when she posted a lengthy statement to Instagram.

"Forgive me for my silence," the post begins. "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."

Describing the conflict as "generational trauma" for Palestinians, Hadid said she mourns for all civilians, whether in Israel or the Gaza Strip.

"Harming women and children and inflicting terror does not and should not do any good for the Free Palestine movement," she continued.

"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 or Palestinian people alike."

Saying that she had received "hundreds of death threats" and that her phone number had been leaked as a result of her previous activism, Hadid said that "it is 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 it is categorically untrue," she wrote. "There is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza that must be attended to. Wars have laws—and they must be upheld, no matter what."

Concluding her post, Hadid encouraged her followers to "put pressure on our leaders, wherever we are, not to forget the urgent needs of the people of Gaza."

Newsweek has reached out to Bella Hadid for comment via email.

Her post split Instagram users, with some praising her message.

"Now this is a STATEMENT!!!" said zianotzyaa.

"Worded perfectly," said khadijakalifa.

"THANK YOU for always standing strong in this Bella!!! We love you," wrote sadikhansk.

"Our queen is back," said melina.ariffin, while talatalluah said: "We understand Bella and applaud your bravery and big heart."

However, others were angered by the statement, slamming Hadid for not backing Hamas.

"Hamas is the resistance, bella and you know this but you can't say it loud," wrote yaraelabsway.

"Rewrite ur statement u should stand with the Palestinian resistance for now and forever," said farahalhashim.

"We stand by palestinian resistance...who have the right to resist in any way possible against their occupiers," said rheadagher. "No preaching for peace until Palestine is free. Educate yourself on decolonization."

Some pro-Israel users criticized Hadid for her support of Palestinians in general, with some people conflating support of civilians in the Gaza Strip with Hamas.

"WHAT ABOUT SLAUGHTERING JEWS of 7 October????!!!!" said unblock_gerllena.

"Wars have laws? What is the law when children are being held hostage?" wrote lianne_neuberger, who has a Star of David as their profile picture, while
thugnthugnthugn called Hadid a "Nazi."

Bella Hadid's father, Mohamed Hadid, was born in Nazareth in 1948. His family was among 750,000 Palestinians displaced that year as a result of the Arab-Israeli war, fleeing to Syria. The Hadids moved to the U.S. when the now 74-year-old was a teenager, where he built a career for himself as an architect and real estate developer.

For a number of years, Bella Hadid has publicly supported Palestinians, along with her sister, fellow model Gigi Hadid. In 2021, Bella Hadid attended a pro-Palestinian march in New York, along with her brother Anwar Hadid's then-girlfriend, Dua Lipa.

In response, the social media account for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Hadid of "advocating for throwing Jews into the sea." The allegation was the result of a chant at the march, in which protesters said: "From the river to sea, Palestine will be free."

In an interview with The New York Times, Hadid confessed that her support for Palestinians led to companies cutting ties with her.

"I had so many companies that stopped working with me," she said in 2021. "I have friends that completely dropped me."

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