Gigi Hadid is facing backlash from the Israeli government after sharing a message in support of Palestine amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
Over the weekend, the model — whose father, Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian — reposted a graphic to her Instagram Story that read: “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.”
However, the official account of the State of Israel took issue with Gigi’s post, taking a screenshot of her Story and reposting it to their own with a message.
“There is nothing valiant about Hamas’ massacre of Israelis,” they wrote in an infographic. “Condemning Hamas for what is is (ISIS) is not anti-Palestine and supporting Israelis in their right against barbaric terrorists is the right thing to do.”
The account then took aim directly at Gigi, asking, “@gigihadid have you been sleeping the past week?”
“Or are you just fine turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes? Your silence has been very clear about where you stand. We see you.”
The Israeli government also posted a photo of a bloodied bedroom belonging to a child, adding, “If you don’t condemn this your words mean NOTHING.”
Just last week, the supermodel denounced “the terrorizing of innocent people” following the catastrophic attacks on Israel, which has reportedly killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
The 27-year-old began the post by telling her nearly 80 million followers that she is sending her “thoughts” and “condolences” to “all” those who have been affected by the “unjustifiable tragedy” — especially those who have experienced “innocent lives” lost, most of which were “children.”
Gigi explained that while she has “deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation” – the Palestinian territories have been militarily occupied by Israel since 1967 – she feels a “responsibility” to “make it clear” where she currently stands.
“While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person,” she wrote.
“The terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with & does not do any good for the ‘Free Palestine’ movement,” she continued. “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 — who disabled the comments on her post — concluded by noting that while “there are a lot of complex, personal, and valid feelings” involved, we all deserve a right to live peacefully.
“… Every human deserves basic rights, treatment, and security; no matter their nationality, religion, ethnicity, or where they were born.”
Since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, an estimated 2,670 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
Both Gigi and her sister, Bella Hadid, have been vocal advocates of Palestine for many years.
However, Bella has yet to speak out about the current war.
