A deepfake video of Bella Hadid appearing to show her support for Israel’s war against Hamas is circulating on social media.
The digitally manipulated video of the supermodel apologising for her pro-Palestinian views has been viewed 11 million times on X (formerly Twitter). However, the apology never took place and the audio isn’t real.
A deepfake usually involves an image or video in which a person or object is visually or audibly altered to say and do something that is fabricated.
Hadid, whose father Mohamed Hadid is of Palestinian origin, has repeatedly shown solidarity with Palestine and even attended a protest in support of Palestine in London days after then-President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The fake video of the runway star opens up a new front in the propaganda war being waged on social media. EU lawmakers have previously warned platforms including X, Facebook and TikTok of the rising tide of misinformation flowing from the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier this month, the Israeli government criticised Bella’s sister Gigi Hadid for her support of the Palestinian cause following Hamas’ attacks on Israel.
Several A-list actors and politicians have previously been featured in deepfakes designed to promote scams and spread falsehoods. They include Tom Hanks, Boris Johnson, and Sir Keir Starmer, while female celebs have been the victims of deepfake pornography.
The fake clip of Hadid was originally shared on Instagram by Israeli fashion model-turned-businesswoman Nataly Dadon and musician Yishay Raziel. However, it gained traction on X, which is facing an EU investigation over its alleged failure to crack down on fake content.
The original post containing the video has been flagged as misleading by X’s voluntary fact-checkers.
A community note attached to the post reveals that the deepfake video is a doctored version of a speech made by Hadid while accepting a Global Lyme Alliance Award in 2016. The supermodel has spoken candidly about her battle with Lyme Disease.
