NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Supermodel Gigi Hadid called out Israel for using the blanket term of "terrorists" for Palestinians. She spoke out through a series of Instagram stories on November 24, criticizing Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.
In one story, the 28-year-old wrote, "Israel sees any Palestinian as a "terrorist," Any person supporting Palestinian rights as an "antisemite," and any Jew that is opposed to the government's actions as "self-hating-even telling them to denounce their Judaism. So... everyone's lying and wrong, except Israel?!! If it wasn't so evil & disturbing, it would be comedic."
Previously, she was criticized for posting a picture of Palestinian terrorist Ahmed Manasra as a "child prisoner of war," which she deleted later.
Her open criticism comes on the same day Hamas released 24 hostages after 48 days of captivity.
Gigi, her sister Bella Hadid, and her brother Anwar Hadid are of Palestinian descent, through their father, Mohamed Hadid. Their mother is Dutch. Gigi's real name is Jelena Noura Hadid and her sister Bella's birth name is Isabella Khairiah Hadid.
Gigi Hadid continues to vocally support Palestine
Gigi has taken a highly public stance supporting the Palestinian cause since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7. She was targeted with death threats for criticizing the Israeli government.
According to reports, one of her first comments on the war criticized government for "terrorizing the innocent people" and emphasized that supporting Palestinian liberation is "not antisemitic."
Gigi Hadid deletes post accusing Israel of 'abducting' Ahmed Manasra
In her now-deleted post about Manasra, she claimed that he was "abducted" during the "Israeli occupation" at 12. She blamed the Jewish state as "the only country in the world that keeps CHILDREN AS PRISONERS OF WAR."
According to the Daily Mail, Gigi's post received widespread backlash for spreading false information and was termed antisemitic.
Manasra was imprisoned for going on a stabbing rampage in Jerusalem in 2015. The then 13-year-old was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison.
Social media praises Gigi Hadid for standing her ground
Even as celebrities like Melissa Barrera are losing out on opportunities for their pro-Palestine stance, Gigi is not backing down and has continued to voice her support for the Palestinian people openly.
The Internet fully supports the supermodel who considers Palestine her ancestral land.
One user said, "an A lister outwardly calling out Israel without dancing around the topic is a HUGE step forward."
Another user said, "Gigi's a steadfast Palestine supporter. No matter the challenge, she's always stood by the truth."
"Gigi has the smarts along with the beauty," noted a third user.
A fourth user stated, "Good for Gigi. More celebs need to stand up like this."
One user hailed Hadid, saying, "so glad she's standing up despite all the backlash she is facing for supporting her own people & calling out the mass atrocities that israel is committing to palestinians."
Another user called her a "Queen!"
"Go Gigi we stand with you," said a seventh user.
Another one said, "Louder Gigi!!"
