Zara has apologised and removed an ad campaign featuring mannequins in plastic bags resembling corpses after critics said the imagery was insensitive amid the war in Gaza.

The fashion brand said it regretted a “misunderstanding” about the pictures, after some customers “saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created”.

The hashtag #BoycottZara trended on X, formerly known as Twitter, as the brand received a spate of complaints on social media.

Zara said: “Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created.

“Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone.”

In one of the photos, a model is pictured carrying a mannequin wrapped in a white bag. Another features a mannequin with no arms.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority said it had received 110 complaints alleging that the advert’s imagery referenced the current Israel-Hamas conflict and was offensive.

The watchdog said it was reviewing the complaints but was not currently investigating the ad campaign.

Six posts showcasing the campaign were scrubbed from Zara’s Instagram page, and parent company Inditex said the photos had been pulled from all platforms.

Zara said the campaign had been conceived in July and photographed in September, before the conflict erupted in October.

The company said the campaign presented “a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craft-made garments in an artistic context”.

The brand’s announcement illustrates the challenge for global brands navigating the sensitivities around the Gaza war.