Gigi Hadid, an outspoken advocate for the Palestinians, admitted to spreading misinformation about Israel to her nearly 80 million Instagram followers.
“As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of Gaza has been painful and often overwhelming,” the model, 28, began a lengthy post Tuesday.
“It is important to me to share the real stories about the hardships that Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, but this weekend I shared something that I did not fact check or deeply think about prior to posting.”
The since-deleted post claimed Israel was the “only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war.”
It also blamed Israel for the “abduction, rape, humiliation, torture [and] murder of Palestinians years and years and years before Oct 7 2023.”
Hadid also shared photos of Ahmed Manasra, a Palestinian convicted of two counts of attempted murder in relation to 2015 stabbings at a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem alongside his cousin Hassan Manasra, who was shot dead by police.
Ahmed’s lawyers argued during his trial that he had not actually stabbed anyone, but he was still sentenced to 12 years in prison, which was later reduced to nine and a half years.
According to Amnesty International, a human rights organization, Ahmed developed schizophrenia and severe depression during his time in prison, and his “life is at risk if he remains in prison.”
The Israeli government has not granted Ahmed’s early release, which Hadid used as an example in her deleted post about the “hundreds of Palestinian children [who] remain detained, suffering in Israeli jails.”
After receiving backlash, the former Victoria’s Secret model explained in Tuesday’s post, “I wanted to show the ways in which international law is being undermined by the Israeli government.
“In this case, I was trying to highlight how Palestinian children who are arrested by the [Israel Defense Forces] are often not given the same rights as an Israel child accused of the same crime would,” she added before stating that she regrets using the “wrong example.”
Hadid also clarified that her intention was not to fuel antisemitic rhetoric because she believes “everyone should have the same rights.”
“At the same time, I understand that with the power of my platform comes a huge responsibility. I’m human and I make mistakes. But I hold myself accountable for those mistakes,” the “Next in Fashion” co-host wrote.
“I do not stand behind the spreading of misinformation, and have always condemned using the Free Palestine movement as justification for anti-Semitism.”
She concluded, “I will continue to pray for the safe return of all hostages and peace and safety for the people of Gaza and Israel.”
Hadid turned off comments on her apologetic post, leading people to voice their criticism of the model under a separate photo.
“Stop spreading lies about Israel,” one person commented, and another added, “It’s not about lies anymore, you are literally spreading HATE.”
Following Hamas’ deadly attack on Israelis on Oct. 7, Hadid denounced the “terrorizing of innocent people,” including those affected in the Gaza Strip.
She noted at the time that her “hopes and dreams for Palestinians” do not include “the harm of a Jewish person.”
Hadid later spoke out again by sharing a graphic 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.”
The Israeli government took to social media to call out the half-Palestinian star directly, saying in part, “@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?”
The post added, “Your silence has been very clear about where you stand. We see you.”
Hadid is not the only member of her family, though, to face criticism amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Her father, Mohamed Hadid, was slammed in late October for likening the Israeli government to Nazis.
His since-deleted post read in part, “Both [Nazis and Israel] added and labeled the victims as Terrorists.. regardless of their peacefulness of other activities. Some Palestinians and some Jews even changed their names.”
