Nadeen Ayoub, who made history as the first Miss Universe contestant from Palestine, has married into a family with deep political ties. In 2016, Ayoub, then 27, tied the knot with Sharaf Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, a figure well-known in Palestinian circles and notorious in Israeli ones.

Marwan Barghouti is currently serving a life sentence in Israel for his involvement in orchestrating attacks that resulted in the deaths of five individuals. Despite his imprisonment since 2002, he remains a significant figure among Palestinians, often seen as a potential unifying leader for both Gaza and the West Bank.

Adding to the intrigue, it appears Ayoub may have named her son after Marwan Barghouti, further cementing her family’s connection to the controversial figure. Marwan, known for founding the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and leading protests in the West Bank, is regarded by many Palestinians as a symbol of resistance.

His prominence has made him a key figure in discussions about Palestinian unity, and his release has been a point of contention, particularly for Hamas, which unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate his freedom in a hostage exchange. These connections place Ayoub and her family in a unique position within Palestinian society, reflecting the complex interplay of politics and personal life in the region.

Viewed by many as the one man who could unite Palestinians across both Gaza and the West Bank, Hamas unsuccessfully sought his release as part of a hostage deal. 

Ms Ayoub, a US-Canadian citizen living in Dubai, can be seen posing alongside members of the Barghouti family in social media posts uncovered by the New York Post. 

It is unclear if she remains with Sharaf but family members confirmed to the outlet that they were married at one point.

The beauty pageant contestant previously taught at Ramallah-based gym IQ Fitness, owned by brother-in-law Qassam Barghouthi, who was imprisoned in Israel but later acquitted of carrying out an ambush and four attempted killings.

Nadeen Ayoub, 27, Palestine’s first ever Miss Universe contestant, wedded Sharaf Barghouti, son of Marwan Barghouti, in 2016

She is the first contestant from the Palestinian Territories to compete in the beauty pageant

Marwan Barghouti is Hamas’ most-wanted terrorist prisoner and is serving life in Israel for five murders

One social media post refers to Ms Ayoub as ‘Nadeen Barghouti’.

After her participation as Miss Palestine was announced earlier this year, Ayoub said in an Instagram post: ‘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 previously represented Palestine in the 2022 Miss Earth beauty pageant in the Philippines, where she came third. 

Meanwhile, Miss Israel revealed that she has been bombarded with death threats after footage appeared to show her scowling at Miss Palestine on stage at an event in Thailand.

The clip went viral online after it seemed to show Melanie Shiraz, 27, glaring and rolling her eyes at Ms Ayoub, who appeared to be standing next to her.

But Shiraz has since posted separate, ‘original footage’ from the event, showing her standing behind Ayoub and diverting her expression elsewhere.

The Israeli beauty queen has claimed the video where she appeared to give Miss Palestine the side-eye was ‘edited’ and from a ‘third-party’, and designed to intentionally mislead audiences.

In the wake of the viral clip, she said she received an onslaught of online hatred, including ‘Hitler-related comments’, resulting in her having to organise ‘heightened security’.

‘It’s not only death threats, but sexual assault threats,’ Shiraz told the New York Post. ‘I experienced antisemitism before but I didn’t think it would be this bad.’

The event in Thailand is the first time the beauty competition has included a contestant from the Palestinian-occupied territories.