Retail fashion company Zara released a statement Tuesday saying it “regrets” the “misunderstanding” around an ad campaign heavily criticized for using images some said were reminiscent of scenes from Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas. The Spanish multinational removed all images of its campaign titled “The Jacket” after days of an angry online backlash and calls for a boycott as social media users claimed the photos were insensitive to—or even outright mocking of—ongoing Palestinian deaths. The images showed a model posing in front of broken plasterboard and cracked stones, with one picture showing a model holding a mannequin wrapped in white plastic. In its statement, Zara explained the campaign was “conceived in July and photographed in September,” and that some “customers felt offended… and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created.” The company also reaffirmed its “deep respect towards everyone.”
