Gazini Ganados extends heartfelt support to ‘brothers and sisters’ amid Gaza-Israel unrest

Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados expressed solidarity with her “brothers and sisters” amid the worsening Gaza-Israel conflict.

Ganados, a half-Filipino and half-Palestinian beauty queen, shared clips of her video call with her father.

“My Papa showing what 7pm looks like in Gaza. Look at him smiling at the view amidst the chaos. I can only imagine the trauma my brother’s and sister (sic) are going through and hope for them to still remain kind and hopeful in this cruel situation. Praying for everyone’s safety,” Ganados wrote in her Instagram Stories. 

The beauty queen then reminded her followers to “give your loved ones a hug, a kiss and show them how much you love them before it’s too late.”

Ganados also shared a news update on the bombing of a Gaza building that housed residential units and The Associated Press and Al-Jazeera media offices, among others. 

The 25-year-old beauty queen was born in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte to an Arab-Mediterranean father and a Filipino mother. 

In a 2019 interview with Arab News, Ganados shared that she was named after her father.

The Gaza-Israel unrest is part of the localized Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of the world’s most enduring conflicts. Tensions have always been high between Palestinians and Israelis living in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Recently, has intensified since the start of Ramadan in April 2021, with ongoing evictions and violence between Palestinians and the police. The conflict marked its deadliest day on May 17 when the death toll passed 200.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist group by Israel, has been based in Gaza, where it has been launching its attacks.

Photos from Gazini Ganados' Instagram (@gazinii)