LONDON: Model Gigi Hadid and her family received death threats after recent comments in which she expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, tabloid news organization TMZ reported on Tuesday. The 28-year-old, whose father is Palestinian American and mother Dutch American, has been vocal on social media about her support for Palestinians amid Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza, where 2,800 people have been killed in the past week. Sources told TMZ that Hadid and her family received death threats via email, social media, and even phone messages after their numbers reportedly were leaked online. Several of her relatives, including sister Bella, brother Anwar, and parents Yolanda and Mohammed, have changed their phone numbers. Hadid’s real-estate tycoon father was said to be considering contacting the FBI. The model uploaded several posts to Instagram over the weekend in which she highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In one, she wrote: “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government"s treatment of Palestinians. Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitic and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”The Israeli government responded by posting a message to the official State of Israel Instagram account in which it fiercely criticized the supermodel for her posts in support of the Palestinian people. It read: “There is nothing valiant about Hamas’ massacre of Israelis. Condemning Hamas for what it is (ISIS) is not anti-Palestine and supporting Israelis in their fight against barbaric terrorists is the right thing to do.” It then tagged Hadid’s account and asked: “Have you been sleeping the past week? Or you just fine turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes? Your silence has been very clear about where you stand. We see you.” The Israeli government also posted a photo that appeared to show blood stains on a floor next to some children’s toys and, again tagging Hadid, wrote: “If you don’t condemn this your words mean NOTHING.”Earlier, Hadid passed on her condolences to Palestinian and Jewish loved ones as she commented on the conflict, which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack. “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,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily.” Her sister, Bella, also a model, has been vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause in recent years but has yet to publicly comment on the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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