Faked video of Bella Hadid circulates on social media

A video on social media supposedly showing supermodel Bella Hadid speaking about the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel is fake.

The video, which has been shared on X (formerly Twitter) and on Facebook, is a manipulated version of a video of Ms Hadid—who is of Palestinian heritage—speaking at an event held by the Global Lyme Alliance in 2016.

The fake clip includes audio supposedly of Ms Hadid saying “Hi it’s Bella Hadid. On October 7th 2023 Israel faced a tragic attack by Hamas. I can’t stay silent. I apologise for my past remarks, this tragedy has opened my eyes to the pain endured here, and I stand with Israel against terror. I’ve taken time to truly learn the historical context. Now, with a clearer understanding, I hope we can engage in constructive dialogue moving forward.”

Clearly, Ms Hadid made no such comments at the event seven years before the attack took place. 

A post on X sharing the video includes the hashtag #WeFixedItForBella, which could be interpreted as acknowledging the video has been faked. However, the clip has also been shared on Facebook with no indication that it has been manipulated.

Ms Hadid has issued a statement following the attacks and subsequent conflict in Israel and Gaza.

We often see misleading images and videos on social media in the wake of significant global events such as the conflict in Israel and Gaza. We’ve written a guide on how to fact check videos from the conflict here.

Image courtesy of Georges Biard