There is a painful history behind why supermodels Gigi, Bella Hadid support the Palestinian cause

Supermodels sisters Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid have consistently been vocal about supporting the liberation of Palestine on their platforms, even going to the extent of attending public marches and donating to causes providing aid to war-torn cities in Palestine. Bella has also revealed in a 2021 podcast interview that her activism has cost her jobs and even relationships, but refused to abandon her support for a liberated Palestine.

“I had so many companies that stopped working with me…I have friends that completely dropped me…I know my family enough, I know my own history enough. And that should be enough.”

But there is a painful history behind why the Hadid sisters have continued to advocate for a free Palestine, even at the risk of losing their prolific careers. It involves their own family members who were expelled from Palestine during the 1948 Nakba. During this period, more than 70,000 Palestinians were removed or expelled from their homes located in the area that was to be declared the state of Israel.

Bella and Gigi’s father, Mohammad Hadid spoke at the #ABtalks podcast about his experience, sharing that he was born in Nazareth, the city where Jesus Christ was believed to have been born. In the interview, the real estate developer said that his family had taken in Jewish refugees who came on a ship from Poland, who were rejected from several countries before arriving at the Haifa port, that Hadid said his great-grandfather had rebuilt during the Ottoman Empire.

The Jewish refugees lived with Hadid’s family for two and a half years, after which Mohammad was born. The senior Hadid recalled when his mother came back to their home in Safad, they were told by guards to leave, and weren’t even allowing his mother to get a blanket to wrap her baby.

Mohammad Hadid is the descendant of the Arab ruler of Northern Palestine Zahir al-Umar al-Zaydani, the Prince of Nazareth from his mother’s side.

According to an article, the monarch was the first Arab ruler of Nazareth, Haifa and Jabba of Palestine to introduce a mandate that allowed Muslims, Jews and Christians to live in harmony under his rule. Today, his ancestors still live in Northern Palestine, where he is celebrated as a national hero.

Alongside Mohammad Hadid, his children have spoken about the trauma of Nakba and called for a liberated Palestine. In 2022, Bella reshared a clip by Al-Jazeera detailing the significance of Nakba Day, and wrote that it was heartbreaking how elders are still not allowed to return to their homeland today.

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Alana shared a picture with her father holding the Palestinian flag and wrote they were remembering the trauma of 1948. Gigi shared the image and added hearts.