On 15th May Nakba Day was internationally marked as the day Israel declared it’s independence in 1948 and forcibly expelled, killed millions of Palestinians residing in their homeland. Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid was among those who acknowledged the occasion by sharing her grief on the ongoing genocide today, which has now killed more than 40,000 innocent civilians in Gaza.
Taking to her Instagram account, the m0del shared a summary conducted by AJ Plus of the violence Israel inflicted upon the Palestinians at the 1949 Nakba, and how it is still ongoing today as the death toll in Gaza from Israel’s war continues to rise.
Bella reflected on her own upbringing as the daughter of a Palestinian refugee, and criticised governments who refused to recognise her people as human beings.
“As a child of a Nakba survivor, grandchild of grandparents that lived through the Nakba and were never able to return home; today is a day to not only acknowledge the pain & suffering of the Nakba-but to end it . Because still, in 2024, human beings in Palestine are being brutalized, terrorized, tortured and killed because of not only being Palestinian, but living on the land they have called home for hundreds of years. I am devastated at the loss of the Palestinian people and the lack of empathy coming from the government systems worldwide. Do better for all involved or get out of office. Please do not be desensitized to the horrific visuals you are witnessing. It is real. It is life. And although it might not be happening to you, please imagine if it was your brother, sister, child, mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather. Best friend. Partner. You.”
“Please look into the eyes of the Palestinians suffering”, Bella pleaded with her followers. “Look into your own heart to understand the pain of what it means to live through a genocide, being deprived of basic rights, homes&history being stolen in plain sight, starvation, consistent military occupation… It isn’t war if only one side is backed by the strongest military in the world.”
Several social media users applauded the model for never shying away from speaking truth at a critical time when Hollywood is blacklisting celebrities calling out Israel for murdering innocents. Palestinian rapper Saint Levant commented: “We will return.”
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Bella and Gigi’s father, Mohamed Hadid, has publicly spoken about being a survivor of the 1948 Nakba. In an interview with Anadolu English, the real estate developer opened up about how his family was forced to leave their home without any of their belongings when Israel took over.
