Hadid gets support after Adidas axes her from campaign

Adidas said today it had dropped vocal pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign for retro sneakers.

The German sportswear giant recently relaunched the SL72, a shoe first showcased by athletes at the 1972 Olympics, as part of a series reviving old classic sneakers.

Hadid, who was born in the US but has Palestinian roots through her father, has been vocal about her support for Palestinian rights since the Hamas storming of Israel in the first week of October last year.

Adidas said it would be "revising the remainder of the campaign" with immediate effect.

"We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events -- though these are completely unintentional -- and we apologise for any upset or distress caused," the company said in a statement sent to AFP yesterday.

A spokeswoman confirmed that Hadid had been removed from the campaign, which notes that the shoes were first introduced in 1972.

Pictures of the American model wearing the retro Adidas shoes had caused an outcry among some groups.

A flood of social media posts meanwhile expressed support for Hadid, criticised Adidas for axing the model, and called for a boycott of the company.

The Gaza war was triggered by the October first week storming of southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas fighters.

Israel's military retaliation to wipe out Hamas has killed at least 38,848 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Hadid has taken part in several pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the conflict and has described Israel's offensive as a "genocide".