Mustafa and Bella Hadid team up for new short film, Gaza is Calling [Video]

Canadian-Sudanese singer-songwriter Mustafa tells a visceral story of trauma arising from the ongoing crisis in Palestine with new music video, “Gaza is Calling”. 

The short film – directed by actress-filmmaker Hiam Abbass – casts Bella Hadid and 15-year-old Gazan rap prodigy MC Abdul as a mother and son who have found refuge from the conflict abroad. These scenes run alongside footage of refugee Israa Ahmed and her younger brother, who are currently housed in a displaced peoples camp in Jenin. As Hadid and Abdul’s relief turns to rage, and the Ahmed siblings’ childlike play turns to terror, shots of attacks on Gaza begin to arrive at a frantic pace, culminating in Israa looking wistfully across the ocean.

“‘Gaza Is Calling’ is about my first experience with heartbreak in friendship. I was 11 when I met this boy from Gaza,” says Mustafa of the track, which was originally written in 2020. “With him, I shared one …