Adidas is facing a growing boycott campaign after unveiling an in-store initiative fronted by a former Israeli soldier who lost his leg during the 2021 Gaza conflict, sparking outrage among pro-Palestinian activists and rights advocates worldwide.
The German sportswear giant’s campaign promotes its “Single Shoe Service,” an offering that has been running in stores since January. The service lets customers who require only one shoe, purchase it at half the standard price of a pair; a move designed to make footwear more accessible for people living as amputees.
The face of the campaign is Shalev Biton, who was seriously wounded and lost his left leg while serving with the Israeli military during the country’s assault on Gaza in 2021. Biton announced his role in the initiative on Instagram on August 26, describing it as the fulfilment of a personal dream and explaining that the idea grew out of his own frustration with having to buy a full pair of shoes despite needing only one. Promotional clips for the campaign, produced in both Hebrew and English, have circulated widely online and the initiative has rolled out across Adidas stores internationally, including in Israel.
The choice of Biton as the campaign’s face has drawn sharp criticism from pro-Palestinian voices, who argue it is insensitive given the scale of amputations suffered by Palestinians in Gaza. According to World Health Organization estimates, between 5,000 and 6,000 people in Gaza had undergone amputations as of early October 2025, part of a broader toll of roughly 42,000 residents left with life-altering injuries over two years of conflict. Critics, including journalists, authors and activists with large social media followings, have called for consumers to boycott the brand, with some saying they intend to stop buying Adidas products altogether.
One report indicates Adidas has described the episode as an unintentional error and pledged to adjust the campaign, though this has not been confirmed across all sources monitoring the story.
This is not the first time Adidas has been drawn into controversy tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2024, the brand apologised to model Bella Hadid after a backlash over her inclusion in a campaign referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, following objections from Israeli advocacy groups over her public support for Palestinian causes.
