NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who is half Palestinian, made a public statement regarding the recent upsurge in violence between Israel and Palestine following Palestinian militant group Hamas' strikes on southern Israel.
The 28-year-old supermodel, whose father Mohamed Hadid, 74, is of Palestinian descent, posted a statement on Instagram denouncing the "terrorizing of innocent people" carried out by Hamas.
Gigi also expressed her love and support for her Jewish and Palestinian friends.
In the largest escalation in the region in decades, Israel began retaliatory operations against Hamas after the Palestinian militant group carried out a series of bombings on October 7 that left more than 1,000 people dead, per Daily Mail.
Gigi Hadid has 'deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle'
In a lengthy message on her Instagram page on Tuesday, October 10, Gigi stated that "terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with & does not do any good for the ‘Free Palestine’ movement."
She began her statement by saying, "My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy, and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict — too many of which are children."
Having a Palestinian immigrant father who is a devout Muslim, Gigi said, "I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it's a responsibility I hold daily."
Nevertheless, she continued, "I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person."
She firmly declared, "The terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with & does not do any good for the 'Free Palestine' movement."
She further noted, "The idea that it does has fueled a painful, decades long cycle of back & forth retaliation (which no innocent civilian, Palestinian or Israeli, deserves to be a casualty of) and helps perpetuate the false idea that being Pro-Palestine = antisemitic."
Gigi further added, "If you are hurting as I share my condolences today with my loved ones, both Palestinian and Jewish, I'm sending you my love and strength — whoever and wherever you are."
"There are a lot of complex, personal and valid feelings, but every human deserves basic rights, treatment and security; no matter their nationality, religion, ethnicity or where they were born," she stated.
Gigi concluded, "I know my words will never be enough or heal the deep wounds of so many, but I pray for the safety of innocent lives, always."
Internet praised Gigi for 'educated' post amid Israel-Palestine war
Though several Instagram followers earlier trolled the supermodel for her social media post, many of her fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) hailed Gigi for a "decent take" on the issue, calling it "rare."
One fan posted on X, hailing Gigi, "She's one of those people that's so pretty it reminds me life is never a level playing field. She also has a decent take on this which is rare."
A second person praised her, writing, "Wow, a celeb that educated themselves. refreshing."
"She’s absolutely right, if only other celebrities had this type of critical thinking before posting," a third X user noted.
Another one dubbed Gigi as the "rarest gems" and said, "This is an important take since this concern both parties. She's pro civilian and peace. this make her one of the rarest gems in Hollywood."
One X user said, "Gigi and Zara Larson’s point of view of this situation as a whole are the two most valid ones so far; I’m glad they have a sense of awareness when it comes to things that really matter in the world."
Another one praised her as they said, "True. She clearly educated herself about the current conflict and her culture. She's more than just a model."
"Finally an opinion that really matters. if the media and celebrities have this mindset, it would be less hassle to spread peace and unity. This separates Gigi from other non sense (people)," exclaimed another one.
Gigi and sister Bella Hadid previously sparked firestorm over Israel post
In May 2021, Gigi and her 27-year-old sister, supermodel Bella Hadid, caused a stir with an Instagram post in which they claimed that Israel was not a nation but rather a territory colonized by invaders, per Daily Mail.
The Hadid sisters' posts appeared at the time as Israel continued its intense military assault in the Gaza Strip, killing up to 11 key Hamas terrorist military commanders as payback for the artillery and mortar fire that Palestinian territories launched at Israel.
Gigi tweeted in 2018, "I've said it before and I'll say it again." Using the hashtags "Free Palestine," "Free Gaza," and "Coexist" and a peace emoji, she wrote, "For me, this is not about religion or one against the other — it's about the greed," per Daily Mail.
