In the story she posted, Refaeli wrote: "Penelope Cruz, I'm sure you mean well, but when you compare the release of 20 Israeli hostages who were brutally kidnapped from their homes while asleep, or from a party while dancing (while more than 1,000 of their friends and family members were murdered!) to the release of 2,000 convicted terrorists!!!! What are you trying to say? What's the message? I can understand that you're happy this war – we never wanted! – Is over, but this is what you chose to message the world?"

The video that sparked the controversy

The video Cruz posted showed scenes of Palestinian prisoners being released and returning to their families. She did not include a caption or explicit commentary, but the sharing itself was perceived in Israel as a political statement.

This is not the first time the Hollywood star has expressed solidarity with the Palestinian side; Cruz previously sparked controversy when she signed a letter supporting "Free Gaza."

The 20 living hostages who had been held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, finally returned to Israel on Tuesday.

As part of the ceasefire agreement mediated by President Donald Trump, approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were released simultaneously, including about 250 who had been convicted of serious offenses, including murdering Israelis, though most were administrative detainees without convictions.

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After most of the population in southern and central Israel spent Tuesday night running to and from shelters due to massive rocket salvos fired from the Gaza Strip, model Bar Refaeli took to Instagram to highlight the reality her compatriots were experiencing.

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Using the hashtag #IsraelUnderAttack, Refaeli posted a story recording the "1,000+ rockets" that had been fired from Gaza into Israel at the time of her post. By Wednesday that number had reached 1,100 rockets, with five Israeli casualties and dozens wounded.

She also posted a photograph of fathers at a hospital, holding their newborn babies in a fortified corridor during one of the attacks.

Refaeli wasn't the only Israeli celebrity who opted to use social media to share the reality of life under rocket fire.

Actress and writer Noa Tishby wrote on Instagram: "Terrorist organization Hamas is flaming the fire in Jerusalem … Hamas is using this conflict to gain political points at the expense of Palestinian lives."

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The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model, now a popular TV personality in Israel, had pleaded guilty to tax offenses under a plea bargain that also included her mother and agent, Tzipi Refaeli.

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Israel tax authorities accused the two of evading paying taxes on income of about $7.2 million.

Security for their court appearance on Sunday was tight, with barricades in the lobby marking a path to an elevator that took the pair to the courtroom.

"We love you Bar," one woman shouted as the model and her mother, both wearing coronavirus masks, walked past cameras and reporters, without making any comment.

Defense attorneys had argued that Bar Refaeli, a paparazzi favorite during a romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, did not have to declare to Israeli tax authorities worldwide income between 2009 and 2012.

Refaeli, now 35 and a mother of three and married to an Israeli businessman, had contended she was living overseas at the time and exempt from any Israeli tax bills.

But prosecutors said she had been living in luxury homes in Israel leased by her mother and other relatives to hide her residency status.

A Courts Administration statement said Bar was assigned provisionally to perform community service, five days a week, at a center near Tel Aviv for people with physical disabilities. Her 65-year-old mother was due to begin her jail term on Sept. 21.

They were fined 2.5 million shekels ($722,460) each, on top of taxes owed. The Haaretz newspaper said they would likely end up paying authorities about 25 million shekels ($7.2 million), including interest charges.

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Refaeli entered the Tel Aviv courthouse with a white face mask to match her white blouse. She was accompanied by her father, Raffi, her mother, Zipi, and a phalanx of lawyers. The 35-year-old Refaeli and her mother confessed to offenses of evading paying taxes on income nearing $10 million.

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According to a plea bargain agreement they signed with authorities last month, Refaeli is to serve nine months of community service while her mother will be sent to prison for 16 months. The two are also ordered to pay a $1.5 million fine on top of millions of back taxes owed to the state.

The prolonged case, built around the celebrity model's worldwide income and the family's attempts to downplay her ties to Israel, damaged her well-crafted public image as an informal ambassador for the country.

Still, she remains a popular TV personality and pitch-woman whose image is ubiquitous on highway billboards throughout the country. Last year, she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.

The heart of the case revolves around Refaeli's residence earlier this decade when she traveled around the world in high-profile modeling campaigns, graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, and had a lengthy romantic relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Israeli tax law determines residency primarily upon whether the person spent most of the calendar year in the country. Refaeli claimed that she hadn't and therefore did not have to declare her worldwide income in certain years.

But prosecutors rejected her claim and charged her with providing incorrect tax information. For instance, Refaeli's indictment said she earned some $7.2 million between the years 2009-2012 while claiming to reside overseas to avoid paying taxes on her income.

In previous appeals, an Israeli court ruled that Refaeli's relationship with DiCaprio did not qualify as a "family unit," and therefore she could not claim his American residence to avoid paying the full taxes she owed.

Refaeli's lawyers said the plea bargain proved she hadn't intentionally evaded tax payments. Refaeli's mother, who also acted as her agent, was charged with failure to report income, avoiding paying taxes and aiding someone else in evading tax payments. The indictment said she signed leases for her daughter under the names of other family members to blur Refaeli's actual residency status and refrained from declaring her own income as her daughter's agent.

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The deal will require Refaeli to serve nine months of community service while her mother, Zipi, will be sent to prison for 16 months. The two are also ordered to pay a $1.5 million fine on top of millions of back taxes owed to the state.

The prolonged case, built around the celebrity model's worldwide income and the family's attempts to downplay her ties to the country, has sullied some of Refeali's previous image as a beloved national icon.

Still, she remains a popular TV personality and pitch-woman whose image is ubiquitous on highway billboards throughout the country. In 2019, she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.

The heart of the case revolves around Refaeli's residence earlier this decade when she gallivanted around the world in high-profile modeling campaigns, graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition and had a lengthy romantic relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Israeli tax law determines residency primarily upon whether the person spent most of the calendar year in the country. Refaeli claimed that she hadn't and therefore did not have to declare her worldwide income in certain years.

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But prosecutors rejected her claim and charged her with providing incorrect tax information. For instance, Refaeli's indictment said she earned some $7.2 million between the years 2009-2012 while claiming to reside overseas to avoid paying taxes on her income.

In previous appeals, an Israeli court ruled that Refaeli's relationship with DiCaprio did not qualify as a "family unit," and therefore she could not claim his American residence to avoid paying the full taxes she owed.

Refaeli's lawyers said the plea bargain proved she hadn't intentionally evaded tax payments.

"In the relevant time period, Bar was in her early 20s, was working as an international model and was not involved in financial matters. Today she is taking responsibility for mistakes that were made," they said in a statement.

Refaeli's mother, who also acted as her agent, was charged with failure to report income, avoiding paying taxes and aiding someone else in evading tax payments. The indictment said she signed leases for her daughter under the names of other family members to blur Refaeli's actual residency status and refrained from declaring her own income as her daughter's agent.

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She was also instructed to pay a further NIS 120,000 ($34,000) in court fees.

Refaeli's legal team claimed during the last hearing that during the period under question, between 2009 and 2010, that the model was permanently living abroad and that she should not have to pay income tax to Israel.

Referencing her former relationship with Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, her lawyers argued that the U.S. was her primary place of residence at the time.

Israeli tax laws require residents to pay taxes on income made outside of the country, whereas non-residents are only required to pay taxes on money made in Israel.

Residence is determined based on the number of days per year spent in Israel, as well as an assessment of where the "center of life" of an individual is based on property and vehicle ownership, family ties, and other considerations.

The supermodel had previously testified against the court in 2017 after receiving a huge bill from the Israel Tax Authority, which claimed she had hidden tens of millions of shekels during the year in question.

Refaeli was eventually determined to have been living in Tel Aviv in two luxury apartments rented under the names of her family members.

Unconvinced by her arguments and siding with the authorities, a Lod District Court judge rejected the claim and ruled instead that because Rafaeli was not considered as an official foreign resident under Israeli law, she must pay her tax bill.

In January of this year, the prosecution announced that the Hoodies model and owner of sunglasses chain Carolina Lemke would be tried for concealing almost NIS 23 million (some $6.4 million) in income.

The case began in December 2015 when Refaeli was summoned for questioning by tax authorities for failing to report "celebrity discounts" of NIS 1 million ($280,000). At the time, her attorney rejected the accusations.

Despite the looming indictment charges, Refaeli is still scheduled to host the 2019 Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv set to be held May 14-18.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.

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