Bella Hadid and her sister Gigi are collectively donating one million dollars (£785,000) to support relief efforts in Palestine, the model’s agent has confirmed.
A representative for Bella told the PA news agency the money has been earmarked for equal distribution among four humanitarian organisations that have a focus on children and families: Heal Palestine, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), World Central Kitchen (WCK), and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The pair, whose father is Palestinian property tycoon Mohamed Anwar Hadid, have been vocal in their support for the people of Palestine amid the conflict in Gaza.
After Hamas‘s October 7 attack on Israel, Gigi, 29, who has modelled for design houses including Versace and Chanel and co-hosts Netflix‘s Next In Fashion reality competition, wrote on Instagram: ‘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.
‘I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily.’
Gigi (left) and Bella Hadid (right), whose father is Palestinian property tycoon Mohamed Anwar Hadid (centre), have been vocal in their support for the people of Palestine amid the conflict in Gaza
Bella was pictured attending a pro-Palestine rally in New York City in May of 2021
Thousands of Israelis attended a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding a ceasefire
Protesters called on the government to accept the ceasefire proposals laid out by President Joe Biden and for the hostages to be returned
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages call for their release in a rally in Tel Aviv
She added: ‘While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.’
It comes as thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand the government accept the ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden, with many fearing his proposal would be disowned.
Israeli and US flags dotted the crowd in the central plaza they have dubbed Hostages Square, alongside banners urging: ‘Bring them home!’
The US president said on Friday that Israel was offering a new three-stage roadmap towards a full ceasefire, including the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Demonstrators told AFP they were worried that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would disown the deal.
In May, Bella, 27, who was named model of the year by the British Fashion Council in 2022 and has 29 international Vogue covers, wrote on social media that she was ‘devastated at the loss of the Palestinian people and the lack of empathy coming from the government systems worldwide’.
At the Cannes film festival last month she wore a red and white dress made of keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic cloth that is associated with Palestine.
She wrote on Instagram that is was ‘a beautiful way to represent the history, labor of love, resilience and, most importantly, the art of historic Palestinian embroidery’.
Their real estate mogul father has called president Joe Biden a ‘Zionist war criminal’ who will be ‘hunted down like the nazis’ in an Instagram post.
In a different message, the millionaire wrote: ‘We don’t need to ask for a ceasefire. We are indigenous to the land. We demand an end to the occupation and an end to colonialism.’
Hadid has previously stepped in to defend his model daughters, who are outspoken about their support for Palestine.
He said: ‘My kids always have followed their intuition when it comes to human torture and human nature – what happens to humans on earth.
‘From the disaster in Turkey to the famine in Africa and homelessness in Southeast Asia, they have been involved in these things, building schools for UNICEF and so on.
‘It’s always been a humanitarian issue in their blood, nothing to do with being Palestinian.’
At the Cannes film festival last month Bella wore a red and white dress made of keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic cloth that is associated with Palestine
Gigi and Bella Hadid ‘s real estate mogul father Mohamed has called president Joe Biden a ‘Zionist war criminal’ who will be ‘hunted down like the Nazis’
Hadid has previously stepped in to defend his model daughters (pictured), who are outspoken about their support for Palestine
Mohamed, who was born into a Palestinian family in Nazareth, has been a fierce critic of the western world’s support of Israel following the October 7 attack.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the October 7 attack.
It sparked a war with Israel in which more than 36,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count.
Netanyahu insisted on Saturday that the plan laid out by Biden did not preclude fighting on until Hamas’s ability to rule Gaza and pose a threat to Israel had been destroyed. Hamas said it viewed the plan ‘positively’.
The Israeli prime minister has been under pressure both to secure the release of hostages but also from his far-right coalition partners who have threatened to bring down his government if he agrees to end the war without the destruction of Hamas.
‘We have to have a deal. It’s the moral thing to do. We’ve got to get them back,’ said Glick Gilad, 51, holding a US flag at a separate, anti-government protest in Tel Aviv.