Gigi and Bella Hadid are two of the most famous and iconic supermodels of their generation.
While the pair have had incredible success on the catwalk, older sister Alana Hadid is now carving out her own place in the public eye for a very different reason.
The 40-year-old man – who She is the second daughter of Palestinian-American real estate magnate Mohamed Hadid and his first wife Mary Butler – has become one of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian activists in the United States since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
In addition to leading fundraising campaigns and speaking at pro-Palestine protests, Alana has become the creative director of Watermelon Pictures, a Palestinian film distribution company “dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented filmmakers.”
The company uses the slogan “from the river to the screen”, which is a pun on the controversial political phrase “from the river to the sea”.
Alana Hadid, the older half-sister of supermodels Gigi and Bella, has become a leading anti-Israel activist.
The 40-year-old spends much of her time supporting the Palestinian cause and has even joined a Palestinian film company called Watermelon Pictures.
Alana’s parents, Mohamed and Mary, divorced in 1992 and Mohamed married Dutch model Yolanda Hadid in 1994; the couple had daughters Gigi and Bella and son Anwar before divorcing in 2000.
Like her younger sisters, Alana has ventured into the fashion industry over the years.
She spent time working in styling and PR, before launching an eyewear line in 2016, followed by a womenswear brand in 2017.
However, Alana seems to have finally found her true calling in Palestinian activism.
His father, Mohamed – now a billionaire real estate developer – was born in 1948 in the city of Nazareth, Palestine (now Israel).
As a child, his family fled to Lebanon and then Syria due to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when the Jewish state was founded.
Some 760,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
Many of those who stayed were killed, and in 2013 mass graves of Palestinians, some containing women and children, were discovered in the Jaffa district of Tel Aviv.
Alana is pictured with her father Mohamed Hadid (left), mother Mary Butler and sister Marielle (far right) in 2019.
Mohamed is pictured with his second wife, Yolanda Hadid, and their two daughters, Bella (left) and Gigi (right).
Alana and Bella are known for being outspoken when it comes to supporting Palestine.
Bella, her brother Anwar, Marielle and Alana all appear together in the photo.
Mohamed’s five children have been outspoken about the Palestinian cause, putting the family in hot water at times.
Last October, supermodel Gigi was attacked by the official X account (formerly Twitter) of the State of Israel after she condemned the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
She sparked backlash after sharing a meme on Instagram that read: ‘There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
“Condemning the Israeli government is not anti-Semitic, and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”
In response to the meme, the State of Israel posted: ‘Have you been sleeping this past week?
“Or are you just okay with turning a blind eye to the killing of Jewish babies in their homes? Your silence has been very clear about your position. We understand.”
Alana spent time working in styling and PR, before launching an eyewear line in 2016, followed by a womenswear brand in 2017, but has now shifted her focus to activism.
That same month, Mohamed came under fire for sharing an infographic on Instagram that compared Israel to the Nazis.
The post, which was later deleted, said the Nazi Party had been “founded on Aryan supremacy” while Israel had been “founded on Jewish supremacy.”
He also compared the Nazis’ “signature method” of “gas chambers” to Israel’s “signature method” of “saturation bombing.”
According TMZThe backlash the Hadid family received for their pro-Palestinian stance left them fearing for their safety.
Sources told the publication that the family had received horrific threats via email, social media and their phones after their numbers were leaked online.
At one point, Mohamed was reportedly considering going to the FBI about the matter.
In 2022, Bella claimed she had lost friends and modeling jobs over her support for Palestine.
Alana’s father, Mohamed, sparked outrage last year when he shared an infographic (pictured) on social media comparing Israel to Nazism.
Alana’s younger sister Gigi came under fire from the State of Israel last year for sharing a post (pictured) about Israel and Palestine on Instagram.
Speaking to Libyan-American journalist Noor Tagouri, the model explained: “Many brands have stopped working with me. Many friends have also turned their backs on me.”
She added: “I’ve had friends completely abandon me, even friends I’d been having Friday night dinner with for seven years, now they just won’t let me into their house.”
Despite the backlash against her family, Alana moved forward with Watermelon Pictures.
The company’s biggest hit so far has been the documentary Israelism, which follows two Jewish-American filmmakers (including a former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces) as they learn more about the treatment of Palestinians and revise their own views of Israel.
The documentary topped the Apple TV charts upon its release and won multiple awards, but was also criticized by Zionists and several pro-Israel groups, including StandWithUs, who said it “spread anti-Jewish ideas.”
Alana has become one of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian activists in the United States since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
Alana’s film company, Watermelon Pictures, has distributed the acclaimed, award-winning documentary Israelism, which has topped the Apple TV charts.
Another Watermelon Pictures film, Walled Off, uses an art hotel created by English street artist Banksy to explore Palestinian history and media bias against Palestinians.
“We’re changing the way people see us,” Alana said. The cut in an interview last month.
“The entertainment industry has been dehumanizing Palestinians and Arabs for a long time. I have friends who are actors and they have only been able to get roles as ‘terrorists’ or ‘taxi drivers’, but never as human beings, as guys,” he continued.
“I want to see a Palestinian romantic comedy. We want to see Palestinians in the middle of it.”
Reflecting on the negative reactions she has sometimes received from the pro-Israel crowd, Alana said, “I’m never surprised by the vitriol, the hate.”
She continued: “You’re not silencing me by trying to discredit me or telling me I’m ugly or anything. If I’m the ugliest of the sexiest family in the world, I accept that.”
