Gigi Hadid reacts to escalating Israel-Hamas conflict: ‘Pray for safety of innocent lives’

American supermodel Gigi Hadid, who is of Palestinian origin, has shared her thoughts on the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Taking to Instagram, Gigi described the situation as an ‘unjustifiable tragedy’ and expressed her support for the Palestinian cause while simultaneously condemning the violence that has ensued from the conflict.

‘I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation; it's a responsibility I hold daily. I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person,’ she wrote on Instagram.

‘The terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with and does not do any good for the 'Free Palestine movement. The idea that it does has fueled a painful, decades-long cycle of back-and-forth retaliation (which no innocent civilian, Palestinian or Israeli, deserves to be a casualty of) and helps perpetuate the false idea that being pro-Palestine = antisemitic,’ she added.

Concluding her statement, Gigi Hadid offered her condolences to all those affected by the conflict and called for the protection of ‘innocent lives.’

‘If you are hurting, as I share my condolences today with my loved ones, both Palestinian and Jewish, I'm sending you my love and strength, whoever and wherever you are. There are a lot of complex, personal, and valid feelings, but every human deserves basic rights, treatment, and security, no matter their nationality, religion, ethnicity, or where they were born. I know my words will never be enough or heal the deep wounds of so many, but I pray for the safety of innocent lives’.

In 2021, Gigi Hadid shared an Instagram post on the ‘Palestinian struggle’ by journalist and activist Noor Tagouri, who wrote: ‘We should all unequivocally agree that ethnic cleansing and apartheid states are the war crimes we learned about in school agreeing this should never happen again.’

In March 2022, Hadid was embroiled in a minor controversy after comparing the struggles of Palestinians to Ukrainians, with Ukraine having been invaded by the Russian military.

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