Gigi Hadid has publicly backpedaled after sharing an Instagram post in which she claimed Israel is “the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war” – a post illustrated with a boy portrayed as 13-year-old carried out a knife attack in Jerusalem.
Hadid’s post accused Israel of “kidnapping, raping, humiliating, torturing and murdering Palestinians.”
On Tuesday, the model – whose father is Palestinian and compared Israelis to Nazis last month – apologized for her “mistake,” which she described as careless, following backlash against her post.
“It’s important to me to tell real stories about the hardships Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, but this weekend I shared something that I didn’t review or think carefully about before reposting,” she wrote.
She said she wanted to “show how the Israeli government is violating international law” and said a Palestinian child detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would be treated differently than an Israeli child detained by the IDF.
Gigi Hadid, known for her controversial anti-Israel activism, falsely claimed that Israel is the only country that holds children as prisoners of war
Gigi Hadid, 28, was spotted heading to Al-Ajami, a Lebanese restaurant in Paris, on Tuesday
“Unfortunately I used the wrong example to illustrate this and I regret that,” she said.
The 28-year-old, who was the face of Maybelline and currently leads Versace’s campaigns, said she condemns violence against all people.
“The desire for freedom and humane treatment for the Palestinians and the desire for security for the Jewish people can be important to the same person – including me,” she said.
But then she went on to accuse Israel of human rights violations and highlighted years of abuse by Israel. She made no reference to the terrorist attack on October 7th or the current hostage situation.
Hadid, who has often courted controversy with her inflammatory anti-Israel posts, begged her 80 million followers for forgiveness.
“I understand that the performance of my platform comes with great responsibility,” she said.
“I’m human and I make mistakes.” But I also hold myself responsible for those mistakes.”
Hadid posted a photo on Instagram that falsely portrayed Palestinian terrorist Ahmed Manasra as a “child prisoner of war.”
In the now-removed post, Hadid shared a photo of Ahmed, who was imprisoned for a knife attack in Jerusalem in 2015
Disturbing footage released by police at the time shows knife-wielding Ahmed, then 13, and his cousin Hassan Manasra, 15, chasing Israelis on the streets as the innocent civilians run away
Manasra, the “prisoner of war” she sponsored, proudly claimed after his attack: “I came here with my cousin to stab Jews.”
Disturbing footage released by police at the time shows Ahmed, then 13, armed with knives, and his cousin, Hassan Manasra, 15, chasing Israelis on the streets as the civilians run away.
She severely stabbed a 13-year-old boy who was riding a bicycle as he left a candy store.
Hadid claimed that Ahmed was “kidnapped” at the age of 12 by the “Israeli occupation.”
Ahmed was 13 years old at the time and was not kidnapped, but rather arrested and prosecuted for attempted murder.
He was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison.
While in prison, he attempted to harm himself and others several times.
Hadid’s post received immediate backlash and has since been removed.
The post was criticized for spreading false information and increasing anti-Semitism. Users condemned her, with one calling her a “social media terrorist” and another suggesting that the Hadid family should move to Gaza.
One wrote: “She is a social media terrorist and should be punished for spreading false information that increases anti-Semitism.”
Another commented: “The entire Hadid family has blood on their hands.”
“Why isn’t the Hadid family moving to Gaza? Yalla,” a third user wrote.
Ahmad was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. While in prison he attempted to harm himself and others several times – here he is pictured running with Hassan
In still images from the footage of Ahmed and Hassan’s rampage, the boys can be seen running
The post was criticized for spreading false information and increasing anti-Semitism
This is not the first time Hadid has been criticized for her anti-Israel comments.
Hadid was heavily criticized by the Israeli government after she posted a post in support of the Palestinian people on her Instagram Story in October, just weeks after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Hadid, whose famous real estate developer father Mohamed Hadid is Palestinian, posted a graphic about the war that read: “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.”
“Condemning the Israeli government is not anti-Semitic and supporting the Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”
The Israeli government quickly reversed Hadid’s position, posting a response on its Instagram story that read: “There is nothing brave about Hamas’s massacre of Israelis.”
“Condemning Hamas for what it is (ISIS) is not against Palestine and supporting Israelis in their fight against barbaric terrorists is the right thing to do.”
The account then targeted the comments specifically at Hadid, tagging her account and writing, “Have you slept in the last week?”
“Or is it okay for you to turn a blind eye when Jewish babies are slaughtered in their homes?
“Your silence has made it very clear where you stand. We see you.’
Hadid had previously shared this post, which angered the Israeli government
Israel’s Instagram account responded to Hadid’s post