Selena Gomez has announced she is deleting her Instagram account after her comments on the deadly Israel-Gaza conflict left fans divided.
The actress and singer, who is the most followed woman on the social media app, wrote in an Instagram Story: "I’m taking a break and deleting my Instagram. I’m done. I do not support any of what’s going on.”
The 31-year-old's since-deleted post came after she spoke out about the Middle East war, which has seen thousands of Palestians, many of whom are said to have been children, killed in Israeli airstrikes and ground invasion following Hamas' attack on Israel last month.
"I've been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that's going on in the world," she said on social media earlier this week.
"People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific.
"We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good," she continued. "I'm sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag.
"I just can't stand by [while] innocent people getting hurt. That's what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won't. Love, Selena."
The post received pushback from some fans. One wrote: "I love Selena Gomez but this is the saddest excuse of an Instagram story that I've ever seen."
Another added: "Selena Gomez is literally the 3rd most followed person on Instagram with almost half a BILLION followers. A post WILL make a difference. This is why I’m annoyed when celebs make a “neutral” statement.
"They do it only because of their reputation. Not because they genuinely care."
The star then turned comments off her two most recent Instagram posts, unrelated to the crisis, as the rest of her posts were flooded with comments from fans pleading with her to condemn Israel and others criticising her for supporting Israel.
According to Social Blade, Gomez has lost more than 273,000 followers since making her comments.
