A Palestinian and an Israeli beauty queen will go head-to-head in this year’s annual Miss Universe pageant.
Nadeen Ayoub, 27, will be the competition’s first Miss Palestine – a title she gained in 2022 and has promised to carry ‘the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced’ into the contest.
In an Instagram post she wrote: ‘Today, I step onto the Miss Universe stage not just with a title but with a truth…
‘I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see. We are more than our suffering – we are resilience, hope and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us.’
She will likely have an Israeli competitor as Israel has sent contestants to the competition since 1952.
The Miss Universe Organisation confirmed that Ms Ayoub will be competing in the pageant in November, along with 130 other countries and territories.
‘The Miss Universe Organisation proudly welcomes delegates from across the globe, celebrating diversity, cultural exchange and the empowerment of women,’ it said.
‘Ms Ayoub, an accomplished advocate and model from Palestine, embodies the resilience and determination that define our platform.’
Nadeen Ayoub, 27, (pictured) will be the competition’s first Miss Palestine – a title she gained in 2022 and has promised to carry ‘the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced’ into the contest
File image: Miss Universe is one of the four major global beauty pageant brands, alongside Miss Earth, Miss World and Miss International
The Miss Universe Organisation confirmed that Ms Ayoub will be competing in the pageant in November, along with 130 other countries and territories
She previously represented Palestine in the 2022 Miss Earth beauty pageant in the Philippines, where she came third.
The beauty queen who lives between Dubai and Ramallah in the West Bank told The National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates: ‘There hasn’t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide.’
In July, Melanie Shiraz was crowned Miss Israel at a competition in Miami, Florida.
The entrepreneur told the Jerusalem Post: ‘I want to show people, both in and outside of Israel, that this title can be a force for connection, for understanding and for positive change.
‘It’s about far more than beauty – it’s about making our people proud by standing for something that matters.’
Miss Universe is one of the four major global beauty pageant brands, alongside Miss Earth, Miss World and Miss International.
Until 2015, it was owned by Donald Trump but since 2022 has been owned by Thai JKN Global group.
It comes as Hamas said on Monday it had accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage return deal as the Israeli Prime Minister vowed to go ahead with the offensive on Gaza City.
Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month
Hamas said on Monday it had accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage return deal (Pictured: Gaza Strip on August 18)
The deal – presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators – involves a 60-day pause in fighting and the release of around half of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, in exchange for 150 Palestinian security prisoners.
Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month, raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts say is sliding into famine.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that five more people, including two children, died of malnutrition-related causes.
It says at least 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, and 151 adults have died since the ministry started tracking adult malnutrition deaths in June.
Amnesty International accused Israel of ‘carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation’.
Israel has rejected such allegations, saying it allows enough food in and accusing the U.N. of failing to promptly deliver it.
U.N. agencies say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in the territory, around three-quarters of which is now controlled by Israel.
The U.N. World Food Program said on Monday that U.N. partner organisations reported that community kitchens in north and south Gaza produced 380,000 daily meals daily last week – far fewer than the more than 1 million daily meals they produced in April.
