Gigi and Bella Hadid donate $1 million to support children and families in Palestine

Gigi and Bella Hadid are teaming up to support relief efforts in Palestine.

The modeling sisters are collectively donating $1 million, an amount that has been allocated to be distributed equally among four organizations focused on children and families: Hail Palestine, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), the World Central Kitchen (WCK), and the United Nations. Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA).

In general, the organizations support humanitarian aid such as food and medical programs, assist displaced families, and provide psychological services amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The conflict is intensifying in the region following the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

Heal Palestine – short for Health, Education, Aid and Leadership to represent the organization’s program pillars – is a non-political, non-profit humanitarian group working to “provide every young Palestinian in Gaza with a chance at a brighter future.”

Founded in 1991, PCRF provides free medical care to thousands of injured and sick children. Specifically, the organization’s “Gaza Relief and Recovery” campaign seeks to raise funds that will be allocated “to immediate relief including the provision of essential medical supplies, food, medical treatment, clean water and other necessities to families affected by the conflict,” according to the organization. . PCRF’s work includes establishing two pediatric cancer departments in Palestine, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Pediatric Cardiology Department in Ramallah.

José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen is a frontline organization that delivers chef-prepared meals to communities affected by natural disasters and crises such as war, conflict and other tragedies. According to the organization, it has delivered up to 400 million meals. Operations in Gaza resumed after the IDF attack on 1 April that killed seven WCK workers. WCK established field kitchens in Rafah and Deir al-Balah through a network of Palestinian-led community kitchens throughout Gaza. On Tuesday, the organization announced the suspension of its operations in Rafah due to an Israeli air strike.

The National Commission for UNRWA in the United States of America is an independent, non-profit organization that supports humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees. Its goal is “to amplify the voices, experiences, and humanity of Palestine refugees in order to secure American support for the resources necessary for every human being, for the promise of a better life.”

News of the donation comes just days after Bella Hadid made a statement during her recent trip to Cannes, where she wore a keffiyeh dress and explained its importance in a post on Instagram, as shown below. The sisters shared their sentiments about the conflict and its impact on Palestinians on their social media channels. “I feel deep sympathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation,” Gigi Hadid wrote. “It’s a responsibility I carry every day.”