Bella Hadid on the Israel-Palestine conflict: I cannot be silenced any longer

International supermodel Bella Hadid, who has Palestinian roots, has finally spoken up on the Israel-Palestine conflict. This comes days after her sister, supermodel Gigi Hadid, also spoke about the issue. The Hadid sisters are half-Palestinians, from their father’s side.

Bella took to Instagram to write a letter addressing the conflict. She began the letter by apologising for staying silent for so long. She wrote, “Forgive me for my silence. I have yet to find the ideal words for these 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.”

Bella Hadid: My family and I have received death threats

The supermodel also addressed how the issue has affected her personally, with people sending Bella and her family death threats. “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,” she wrote.

Sympathising with the victims of the conflict, Bella wrote that her heart is bleeding with pain from the trauma that she is seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of her Palestinian blood. “Seeing the aftermath of 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, and friends that will never again walk this earth,” she wrote.

‘Mourning for Israeli families’

Acknowledging the pain inflicted on the Israeli people, Bella wrote that she is mourning for the Israeli families that have been dealing with the pain and aftermath of the October 7 attacks. She also wrote that regardless of the history of the land, she condemns the terrorist attacks on civilians. She wrote, “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 person anywhere, should be taken away from their family, either temporarily or indefinitely. That goes for Israeli and Palestinian people alike.”

Bella’s family history

Sharing the history of her family in the letter, Bella wrote, “My father was born in Nazareth in the year of the Nakba (the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948). Nine days after he was born, he, in his mother's arms, along with his family, were expelled from their home in Palestine, becoming refugees away from a place they once called home. My grandparents were never allowed to return. My family witnessed 75 years of violence against Palestinian people, most notably brutal settler invasions that 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.”

Blaming the governments for these hard times, Bella said that all religions practice peace and it is governments that are corrupt.

‘We need to keep pressure on our leaders’

She concluded by saying that there is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza that must be addressed. “Families need access to water and food. Hospitals need fuel to power generators and tend to the wounded and keep people alive. Wars have laws - and they must be upheld, no matter what. 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. I stand with humanity, knowing that peace and safety belong to us all (sic),” she wrote.

Gigi Hadid’s reaction

Earlier, Bella’s sister, supermodel Gigi Hadid, took to her Instagram story to write about the conflict. She wrote, “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitic and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”

Tensions between Israel and Palestine heightened on October 7 when terrorist organisation Hamas attacked Israel. Israel, in turn, has declared war against Hamas, resulting in airstrikes on Gaza.