Unsurprisingly, Rihanna’s decision to post a tweet in support of Palestinians as the conflict between Israel and Gaza reaches death toll highs wasn’t particularly well received.

The singer, who is from Barbados, posted the hashtag “#FreePalestine” on her official feed on Tuesday morning (15 July).

Within just eight minutes, she swiftly deleted it, but not before she received a barrage of replies.

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“She didn't even realise it was a tweet until she started hearing from her fans,” TMZ quoted a source close to Rihanna as saying.

They went on to explain that the singer had been reading up on the Middle Eastern conflict online when she "clicked a link".

Shape Created with Sketch. How did these Rihanna pictures manage to get past Instagram? Show all 21 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. How did these Rihanna pictures manage to get past Instagram? 1/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures It's censored sure, but probably still fits under Instagram's "mature content" forbidden category. 2/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Enjoying the cultural pursuits of Amsterdam during a recent visit. 3/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The singer gives the public a close-up look at her behind as part of her collaboration with Shakira. 4/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The Rihanna-Shakira faux lesbian love-in continues. The pair worked with each other on single "Can't Remember To Forget You". 5/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures A shower in front of the lens. 6/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures A spot of poledancing on the set of music video "Pour It Up". 7/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The only way to sit on a throne in upside down with legs wide open, obviously. 8/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Still on the set of "Pour It Up", she assumes an uncomfortable-looking position as she reclines on a chair. 9/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures You probably wouldn't want to show this picture to your boss or child, so it's surprising that this shot managed to slip through the Instagram net. 10/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Here she sits on a surf board, legs straddling a paddle, mouth wide open, in a typical watersports pose. 11/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures We're not not sure what editorial value this has, but we're pretty sure it breaks Instagram's code. 12/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Rowing her surf board with a dubious-looking cigarette. 13/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Celebrating Christmas with another mysterious cigarette. 14/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Here she is at carnival in Barbados showing off her jewels. 15/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Unfortunately, her spread legs obscure her sparkling carnival briefs. 16/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Perhaps she was just trying to ensure her neck managed to garner maximum sun exposure. 17/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Smoking with notorious cannabis fan Snoop Dogg. 18/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Posing sexily with a snake. 19/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Just because this shot doesn't feature Rihanna's aesthetically pleasing face or body, it doesn't that mean this beachside shot doesn't clash with Instagram's "partial nudity" ban. 20/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Eschewing sun loungers for a pool side recline. 21/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures This was captioned with "#legalizethis" and taken in Amsterdam. 1/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures It's censored sure, but probably still fits under Instagram's "mature content" forbidden category. 2/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Enjoying the cultural pursuits of Amsterdam during a recent visit. 3/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The singer gives the public a close-up look at her behind as part of her collaboration with Shakira. 4/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The Rihanna-Shakira faux lesbian love-in continues. The pair worked with each other on single "Can't Remember To Forget You". 5/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures A shower in front of the lens. 6/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures A spot of poledancing on the set of music video "Pour It Up". 7/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures The only way to sit on a throne in upside down with legs wide open, obviously. 8/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Still on the set of "Pour It Up", she assumes an uncomfortable-looking position as she reclines on a chair. 9/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures You probably wouldn't want to show this picture to your boss or child, so it's surprising that this shot managed to slip through the Instagram net. 10/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Here she sits on a surf board, legs straddling a paddle, mouth wide open, in a typical watersports pose. 11/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures We're not not sure what editorial value this has, but we're pretty sure it breaks Instagram's code. 12/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Rowing her surf board with a dubious-looking cigarette. 13/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Celebrating Christmas with another mysterious cigarette. 14/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Here she is at carnival in Barbados showing off her jewels. 15/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Unfortunately, her spread legs obscure her sparkling carnival briefs. 16/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Perhaps she was just trying to ensure her neck managed to garner maximum sun exposure. 17/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Smoking with notorious cannabis fan Snoop Dogg. 18/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Posing sexily with a snake. 19/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Just because this shot doesn't feature Rihanna's aesthetically pleasing face or body, it doesn't that mean this beachside shot doesn't clash with Instagram's "partial nudity" ban. 20/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures Eschewing sun loungers for a pool side recline. 21/21 Rihanna's most outrageous uncensored Instagram pictures This was captioned with "#legalizethis" and taken in Amsterdam.

Realising her error, she posted a far more balanced tweet, alongside an image, this morning.

Rihanna is, however, not the first famous face to wade in on the Israel-Gaza debate. Kim Kardashian was forced to issue a statement in 2012 after she posted a flurry of controversial tweets on the subject.

“Praying for everyone in Palestine and across the world,” she posted.

“I want to own up to and explain that earlier today I sent out two tweets about saying prayers for the people in Palestine and Israel and after hearing from my followers, I decided to take down the tweets because I realized that some people were offended and hurt by what I said, and for that I apologize,” she wrote.

“I should have pointed out my intentions behind these tweets when I posted them. The fact is that regardless of religion and political beliefs, there are countless innocent people involved who didn’t choose this, and I pray for all of them and also for a resolution. I also pray for all the other people around the world who are caught in similar crossfires.”

A spokesperson for Rihanna is yet to respond to request for comment.