British pop singer Sam Smith has cancelled their forthcoming show in Israel citing technical issues.

The 30-year-old Grammy Award-winner, whose 2023 album Gloria topped the UK chart, was due to play The Summer in the City Festival in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park on 31 May.

Event organisers have now said that the first of two nights of the festival, featuring Smith and Papa Roach, has been cancelled "due to unforeseeable technical and logistical problems”.

In a statement, they said: "The festival concerts of June 1 will continue as planned. Those who bought tickets are welcome to contact the company they bought the tickets from for a full refund. People who bought tickets for both days of the festival who want to keep the ticket for the second day will be refunded 25% of the ticket price or cancel it and get a full refund."

In the last few months, an online campaign was formed to urge the star to cancel their gig.

According to Pink News, Ghadir Shafie, the co-founder of the Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms wrote an open letter to smith accusing the star of helping "prop up the false image of Israel as a modern, democratic society."

“It may sound benign, but it is what allows Israel to continue its wholesale theft of Palestinian life, land, and dignity.”

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel praised the gig's cancellation on Twitter saying: “Palestinians warmly welcome the news that @samsmith will not be performing in apartheid Israel, and avoiding artwashing or pinkwashing Israel’s oppression against Palestinians.”

The festival events of June 1, featuring Robbie Williams, Calum Scott, Martin Garrix and Israeli singer Static, are set to go ahead as planned.