The Guardian has apologised for using a picture of protests on the Gaza border as its image in an article about rising antisemitism in the UK, saying it “should not have been used.”

The picture had led a report by the paper on Thursday of the latest figures from the Community Security Trust (CST), which showed antisemitic incidents at a record high in Britain for the third year in a row.

The caption used with the picture in the piece said that incidents of antisemitism in the UK had increased after tension of the border between Gaza and Israel in May.

But people on Twitter responded, saying that by using the picture, particularly with how it appeared on social media, the Guardian appeared to be drawing a parallel with the situation in Gaza and antisemitism in the UK, implying that in some way British Jews were to blame for it.

The newspaper's use of the image was described as “appalling” and “unbelievable”. It was later replaced with a picture showing antisemitic graffiti.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Guardian said: “We apologise for the original photo on the story which should not have been used, and has now been replaced.”

In an article for the JC, David Delew, the CST’s chief executive, said the surge in antisemitism “cannot somehow be blamed upon anti-Israel hatred, acted out against British Jews”, but rather, “this latest antisemitism is about the condition of Britain today.”