Gigi & Bella Hadid’s dad apologizes for sending hateful messages to gay congressman

Mohamed Hadid – the father of models Bella and Gigi Hadid and a luxury real estate developer – has apologized after allegedly sending a series of racist and homophobic messages to Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) regarding his unwavering support of Israel.

The New York Post reported it obtained screenshots showing that Hadid – who is Palestinian – sent hateful messages to Torres for months over social media. One message reportedly stated, “You worse than the rats of New York sewage system. They have bigger brains than you. You might get a job as bouncer at gay bar.”

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He also called Torres a “slave to whites” and said to “make sure you dress as KKK to hide that ugly gray colored face of yours.”

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In another message, he allegedly told Torres, “You are just unusual Black and colorful mouth for Israeli and AIPAC and looking for payday of over 500K.” AIPAC, which stands for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is a pro-Israel lobbying group.

In response to the messages, Torres told the Post, “Whether it is dehumanizing me as worse than the rats of the NYC sewage system or telling me to dress like the KKK to ‘hide that gray colored face of yours,’ Mr. Hadid has hurled just about every racist insult at me shorting of calling me the N-word.”

“That Mr. Hadid felt so at ease demonizing and dehumanizing a Black Member of Congress reveals a tragic truth about our politics: If you are a person of color and pro-Israel, you are fair game for racist invective.”

After the Post published its story, Hadid posted an apology to his Instagram account in which he expressed regret for the words he used but not for his anger. He echoed the sentiments of many Palestinian rights activists who are accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians as retaliation for the October 7th attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group.

“I need to apologize,” he said. “Not for the anger I feel but for the words I used to express that anger. I intended to express how Mr Torres is a shill being used by Israel. A state that not only mistreats Black and brown people but pinkwashes their atrocities using their projected gay rights as a shield for their human rights violation.”

“My feeling after 76 years of being a refugee from the country where I and my ancestors were born and watching a genocide unfold are at an all time high,” he continued.

“I am watching United States politicians work as AIPAC messengers of genocide. I used the wrong words to express this anger but the anger is warranted. To send Black and brown and other marginalized communities to do the dirty work of two countries who have never respected them is wrong. I apologize to my community for directing the conversation to this, and even for a minute away from Palestine. All eyes on Palestine, Free Palestine.”

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A post shared by Mohamed Hadid (@mohamedhadid)

The Hadid family has long been outspoken for Palestinian rights.

In October, about a week after the Hamas attack on Israel, the Israeli government accused Gigi Hadid of “turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes” after she posted a graphic on her Instagram story proclaiming, “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians” and “Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitic and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”

Hadid also wrote, “While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person.”

Later that month, Mohamed Hadid reportedly deleted an Instagram post in which he compared Israel to Nazis.

Bella Hadid also spoke out in the wake of the October 7th terrorist attack and Israel’s war on Gaza.

“I believe deep in my heart that no child, no people anywhere, should be taken away from their family either temporarily or indefinitely,” she said. “That goes for Israeli or Palestinian people alike.”

She said she had been receiving death threats for having voiced support for Palestinians in the past.

“It is important to understand the hardship of what it is to be Palestinian, in a world that sees us as nothing more than terrorists resisting peace. It is harmful, it is shameful, and it is categorically untrue. There is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza that must be attended to. Wars have laws—and they must be upheld, no matter what.”