The first hijab-wearing model to appear in a L'Oreal haircare campaign has been forced to step down over a series of anti-Israel tweets.

Amena Khan, from Leicester, said she 'deeply regrets' her remarks from 2014, and apologised for the 'upset and hurt that they have caused'.

She had been criticisied for a series of posts, including one that described Israel as an 'illegal state' and another branding the country as a 'child murderer'.

The backdated tweets, which have now been deleted, came to light after Amena was cherry picked by L'Oreal to appear in the promo alongside the likes of pop star Cheryl.

The blogger said that with 'deep regret' she would be stepping down from the L'Oreal campaign, as the conversations surrounding her tweets were 'detracting' from the 'positive and inclusive sentiment' the campaign aimed to send out.

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Amena Khan (pictured) has been forced to step down from a L'Oreal campaign for a series of recently unearthed tweets about Israel

In a statement posted on Twitter, Amena said: 'I deeply regret the content of the tweets I made in 2014, and sincerely apologise for the upset and hurt that they have caused.

'Championing diversity is one of my passions, I don't discriminate against anyone. I have chosen to delete them as they do not represent the message of harmony that I stand for.'

She continued: 'I recently took part in a campaign, which excited me because it celebrated inclusivity.

'With deep regret, I've decided to step down from this campaign because the current conversations surrounding it detract from the positive and inclusive sentiment that it set out to deliver.'

In a statement posted on Twitter, the blogger said she 'deeply regrets' her remarks from 2014

Since being unveiled as one of the faces of a new L'Oreal campaign, Amena has been criticised for tweets she posted about Israel in 2014, which have since been deleted.

One read: 'U repeatedly say "nobody is above the law". Well, under international law, Israel is an illegal state. Yet u support them. EXPLAIN #AskDavid'.

Another says: 'Israel = Pharoah. Both are child murderers. Insha'Allah, defeat also awaits the former; it's only a matter of time. #HopeForGaza #SaveGaza'.

In a third post, Amena tweets Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow: 'Your "children of Gaza" piece was incredibly moving. Israel is a sinister state & the one who suffer most are innocent children'.

In a series of tweets from 2014, she had called Israel an 'illegal state' and branded the country a 'child murderer'

It comes after the blogger and influencer starred along side Cheryl and Dougie Poynter in a new L'Oreal campaign.

Amena had been unveiled as the first model to star in a haircare campaign without actually showing hair, which she pointed to as being a big step for the beauty industry.

Speaking to Vogue the YouTube star said: 'You have to wonder – why is it presumed that women that don't show their hair don't look after it?

'The opposite of that would be that everyone that does show their hair only looks after it for the sake of showing it to others.

'And that mindset strips us of our autonomy and our sense of independence. Hair is a big part of self-care.'

Amena had been unveiled as the first hijab-wearing model to feature in a L'Oreal haircare campaign, starring alongside the likes of Cheryl

The controversy over picking Amena as a face of L'Oreal comes after transgender model Munroe Bergdorf was fired by the brand in September for her comments on racism.

In a lengthy Facebook post, she had written: 'Honestly I don't have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people.'

A spokesperson for L'Oreal Paris UK said: 'We have recently been made aware of a series of tweets posted in 2014 by Amena Kahn, who was featured in a UK advertising campaign.

'We appreciate that Amena has since apologised for the content of these tweets and the offence they have caused.

'L’Oréal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect towards all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign.'