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As war returns to Iran with joint Israel and US strikes, celebrities have begun speaking out — and few voices in Hollywood have been as consistently vocal on Middle Eastern politics as Bella Hadid.

The Palestinian-Dutch supermodel took to Instagram to share a carousel, urging protection for civilians caught in the escalating conflict. Her post came as the region reels from days of bombardment and retaliation.

The attacks killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a move that has plunged the Middle East into its most perilous crisis in decades. Among the dead are 150 children after Israeli strikes destroyed a primary girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran. Nearly 100 others were wounded.

Rights groups say more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Iran in the first five days of attacks, with thousands more injured as airstrikes hit urban areas and infrastructure.

Against that backdrop, Hadid shared a graphic from the International Committee of the Red Cross titled “Civilians must be protected”, using her caption to centre the people caught between governments and military escalation.

“My heart is with the people of Iran, and with every civilian anywhere caught in the middle of government decisions and military escalation,” she wrote. “No matter where we live, safety, dignity, and peace should never be negotiable.”

The model pointed out that ordinary people often become collateral damage in decisions made by those in power.

“Too often innocent lives become collateral in decisions made far above them — by systems, by leaders, by forces that claim to act in their name,” she wrote. “But the future of Iran belongs to its people, not to those who silence them or use them as leverage.”

The post was not just a statement but also a resource list. Hadid urged followers to amplify and support humanitarian groups working in the region, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Iranian Red Crescent Society and Save the Children.

She also shared screenshots of statements from those organisations in her carousel, calling for the protection of children as violence escalates across the Middle East.

“Behind the headlines are real families, real fear, and real human lives,” Hadid continued. “What matters most is protecting civilians, preventing further escalation, and remembering our shared humanity.”

The appeal echoes warnings from humanitarian groups that the rapidly widening conflict risks devastating civilian populations. The Red Cross has said expanding hostilities across the region place “civilian lives in grave danger,” while aid organisations are calling for restraint and adherence to international humanitarian law.

The conflict itself has spiralled far beyond a single set of strikes. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets and US military installations across the region, while tensions have spread to neighbouring countries and disrupted shipping through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz.

For Hadid — whose father is Palestinian and who has repeatedly spoken about the war in Gaza and broader regional politics — the message stayed focused on civilians rather than geopolitics.

“History has shown us that escalation rarely protects the innocent,” she wrote. “I’m praying for restraint, accountability, and peace… standing in solidarity with the people of Iran, human beings everywhere living through uncertainty right now.”