Maisa Abd Elhadi is an Israeli-Arab actress who has appeared in international blockbusters like World War Z. Of late, Maisa Abd Elhadi has become famous for her active and vocal protest against the atrocities committed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) against the citizens of Gaza. Let’s find out more about her.

Maisa Abd Elhadi: All You Need To Know

Why was Maisa Abd Elhadi arrested?

Israeli media reported that the Israeli police arrested prominent Arab actress Maisa Abd Elhadi after she expressed her support for the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle announced by Hamas on October 7.

The Israeli police confirmed the arrest of an actress and social media influencer from the city of Nazareth, on suspicion of promoting hate speech, but did not mention her name.

The statement read that the Israeli police’s fight against incitement continues at all times, and after her arrest, Maisa Abd Elhadi was subjected to intense interrogation at the police station, and the Israeli authorities are planning to hold a subsequent court session, where they will propose extending her detention to conduct a deeper investigation.

Maisa Abd Elhadi had published pictures of Yaffa Adar, 85, being held hostage by Hamas with laughing emojis and another picture of Hamas forces breaching the Israeli security wall with a caption in English, “Let’s go the Berlin way,” in a clear reference to the demolition of the Berlin Wall. 1989.

The actress’s posts on social media were subjected to severe criticism. Among the critics was her co-star in the movie “Temporarily Dead”, Ofer Shechter, who wrote: “I am ashamed of you. You should be ashamed of yourself. You live in Nazareth, you act in our television programs and films, and then… “You stab us in the back.”

Who is Maisa Abd Elhadi?

Maisa Abd Elhadi is an Israeli-Arab actress. She has appeared in several TV shows and movies in Israel. She was born in 1985 in Nazareth, in the Northern Haifa region of Israel. She completed her higher education in Israel. Speaking about her opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Maisa Abd Elhadi said: “Without a doubt, I sympathize with every Palestinian, whether he is in the West Bank, Gaza, displaced, or in the diaspora, and the ones I sympathize with the most are the Arab Palestinians inside Israel.”

Which are some of Maisa Abd Elhadi’s movies?

Among the cinematic works in which she participated: “The Remaining Time” by director Elia Suleiman, “Man Without a Phone” by director Sameh Zoabi, “Miral” by director Julian Schnabel, and she plays the main role in the film “Habibi Rasak Kharban’” by Lebanese director Suzanne Youssef, and “Central Station” by Ami Levna, two short films entitled “Taxi” and “The Box,” and a clip by singer Elias Julianis. She recently appeared in Huda’s Salon as well.

One of the most prominent films in which she participated was “Gaza Monamour,” which had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival last year. It then went on a tour of screenings at international festivals, and was Palestine’s official nominee to compete for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

The film won the Best Arab Film Award at the Cairo International Film Festival, shared with the film “We Are From There” during the 42nd session of the festival, and the film’s ratings are high on international rating platforms.

Among the most famous films that she participated in, including those shown on the global Netflix platform, is The Angel, in which she played the character of Mona Marwan in the series that tells the story of the Egyptian politician Ashraf Marwan from an Israeli point of view, The Heart of Baghdad, Al-Hara, Al-Mukhtars, and Hoda Salon.

Did Maisa Abd Elhadi suffer a foot injury?

Maisa Abd Elhadi suffered an injury to her foot during a Pro-Palestinie march. 

Earlier, a picture of an injured woman was circulated on social media, and it was written that she was an Israeli actress, and she was shot by the Israeli forces because of her support for Palestine. Some media platforms verified the picture and revealed that the injured woman is an Arab actress from the Israeli city of Nazareth.

The Palestinian actress was injured while protesting against the forced displacement of a number of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah area of Jerusalem.

Where is Maisa Abd Elhadi from?

Nazareth, where Maisa Abd Elhadi hails from, is the focal point for Israel’s Arab minority, which mainly consists of descendants of Palestinians who remained after the 1948 Arab-Jewish War, and who identify as Palestinians.

Maisa wrote about what happened to her on her official Instagram page, that during a peaceful march in the city of Haifa, and while she was filming and documenting the protest, a gas bomb was fired at her and it exploded near her foot.

She said: “The occupation police and soldiers never hesitate to violently attack or kill any Palestinian, even if there is not a threat to anyone. This is not the first time in demonstrations that are supposed to be peaceful, the police and army have attacked the demonstrators. I never had any doubt that as a Palestinian woman, I am always at risk, but this time. I understood the fact that we are on the first line of confrontation, and sometimes nothing separates us from death except luck.”

Does Maisa Abd Elhadi want to work in Hollywood?

Maisa Abd Elhadi has repeatedly said that she has given special attention to Palestinian theatre and cinema all her life. But she also has ambitions of becoming a Hollywood star.

What does Maisa Abd Elhadi think about Brad Pitt?

According to Maisa Abd Elhadi, she was never attracted to Brad Pitt or any of the roles he had played in his career until she met him on the stage of World War Z. Everything changed after that and she became a fan of the actor.

Is Maisa Abd Elhadi religious?

Maisa Abd Elhadi doesn’t like to conflate her personal religious beliefs with her profession. She isn’t a fan of characters appearing in scenes while denoting a specific religious symbol without any need for that in the scenario. Maisa Abd Elhadi has said that she sees no reason for an artist to wear a cross or a veil in a scene where the story doesn’t require it.