Fashion retailer Zara yanks ads that some found reminiscent of Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The images for a line of jackets included what the company called “unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio.” But some online critics said one image of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin resembled someone holding a corpse. Other photos included a mannequin with missing limbs and a figure wrapped in fabric or plastic on the floor, according to news reports.

The company apologized in a statement posted on Instagram Tuesday and said the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, prompting Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza.

Zara said the campaign was created “with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context.” While acknowledging the offense critics took to the images, the company said these people “saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created.”