Gazini Ganados fears for Palestinian family’s safety amid Israel-Hamas war

Gazini Ganados’ conversation with her Palestinian family; Ganados and her Palestinian father. Image: Instagram/@gazinii

Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados felt “sick to her stomach” as she gave an account of her Palestinian family’s “heartbreaking” situation in Gaza, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The beauty queen expressed her sorrow and stressed that she could no longer “remain silent” about the war, as per her Instagram page on Thursday, Oct. 19.

“Sick to my stomach,” she wrote while showing photos of her dad, one of which showed him confined at a hospital. “This has been a heartbreaking week for so many of us. I’m scared, disturbed, deeply saddened. We can always be doing more.”

“I’ve been silent regarding the conflict about the war between Israel and Palestine because as some of you may know I recently just kept in touch with my father and my family who is now living in Palestine, Gaza,” she continued.

READ: PH sides with Israel, ‘condemns’ slay of civilians, including Gazans

Ganados, who was raised by her mom and grandparents, met her dad for the first time in January 2020. Prior to their meeting, Ganados had no communication with her father, but the beauty queen said she never held a grudge against him.

Gazini admitted that it took time before she spoke out because she didn’t “know enough to form an opinion” and that she was “not that actually culturally informed.”

“I would like to express my deep sorrow for the Israelis who have lost their lives and been injured in the dreadful terrorist attacks. Hamas killing civilians was horrible but Israel countering by killing [10 times] more civilians is beyond insane,” she wrote.

“I cannot remain silent in the face of the Israeli government’s attempt to seek revenge from innocent civilians for the terrorist attack. I will not remain silent about this genocide either specially that my family’s life depends on it,” Gazini added.

READ: DFA: Fourth Filipino killed in Israel-Hamas war

Gazini Ganados, who also shared screenshots of her conversations with her brother and stepmother in Gaza, then lamented how innocent people have been murdered because many have been “so silent” and “scared to defend basic human rights.”

“It’s been a long dark tunnel since Oct. 7 and a long way to go to [emerge] from this [horrendous] situation,” she concluded her post, whose comments section have been filled with concern and prayers from fellow beauty queens.

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