Zara cancels the campaign after critics call it insensitive to the war between Israel and Hamas

Zara, the fast-fashion retailer, said Tuesday it had removed an advertising campaign after critics said the images were reminiscent of scenes from the Israeli-Hamas war and called it insensitive.

The campaign, called ‘The Jacket’, featured model Kristen McMenamy and was photographed by Tim Walker. In one of the images, Ms. McMenamy holds a mannequin wrapped in white fabric. In another image, what appears to be white powder is sprinkled on the floor.

“Unfortunately, some customers were offended by these images,” the fast-fashion brand said said in a company statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, adding that people “saw something in them that was far removed from what was intended when they were made.” The company said it “regrets the misunderstanding.”

The company also noted in the statement that the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September, before Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. The campaign, which features images of unfinished sculptures in an art studio, was developed for the “sole purpose of showcasing handmade garments in an artistic context,” the company said.

The photos posted to the company’s Instagram page have since been deleted, but the batch could still be seen The cut And Design Scene website.

Some customers called for a boycott of the brand because of the images. Users compared the campaign’s photos with recent photos taken by war photographersin which Palestinians carry their deceased loved ones in white body bags that are sometimes colored red with blood.

In a particularly poignant photo, taken by Mohammed Salem for ReutersA Palestinian woman named Inas Abu Maamar, 36, holds the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli attack.

Critics of the campaign believed that even though it was developed before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the decision to go ahead and release the campaign in December was insensitive to the conflict.

“You are not aware enough of current events to work in marketing,” said one critic posted on social media. “You approved it out of ignorance.”

Protesters gathered outside a Zara store in Tunisia on Monday Reuters, and they sang while waving the Palestinian flag. Red paint splashed on one of the store’s windows.

In another video, a small group of protesters walked in what looked like a Zara store in Germany with tape over their mouths, waving images from the war and carrying props that seemed to mimic dead children in white body bags.

Some Instagram users added pro-Palestinian posts as comments on Zara’s Instagram statement and other recent posts.