The Palestinian-Dutch model, Bella Hadid, who has always been vocal about her support for Gaza, made a political statement at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. Hadid donned a ruffled spaghetti-strap dress featuring a traditional red-and-white keffiyeh pattern to honour her Palestinian heritage. She has frequently expressed her support for Palestine, even before the recent large-scale Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
Previously, Bella unequivocally stated that she would not fear losing modelling jobs for speaking out about Palestine. The dress was designed by Michael and Hushi for their 2001 collection inspired by Palestinian and Iranian culture. Netizens applauded the fashion icon for using the Cannes Film Festival, a major international platform, to highlight the Palestinian cause through a striking fashion statement that also served as a political message.
As Israel’s military assaults wreaked havoc in Gaza after October 7, Bella Hadid opened up about her stance in an Instagram post, apologising to her followers for her silence on the matter. The model revealed that she received "hundreds of death threats daily," but she will not be deterred. “The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza cannot afford our silence.
We are not brave - they are,” she mentioned it in her post. Hadid said her father, who was born in Nazareth in 1948, was part of the mass expulsion of Palestinians known as the ‘Nakba.’ This eve.