diff --git a/internal/persistence/sql/query_test.go b/internal/persistence/sql/query_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f27acba18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/persistence/sql/query_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package sql
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/ory/x/uuidx"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/ory/keto/internal/relationtuple"
+)
+
+func TestBuildDelete(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	nid := uuidx.NewV4()
+
+	q, args, err := buildDelete(nid, nil)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Empty(t, q)
+	assert.Empty(t, args)
+
+	obj1, obj2, sub1, obj3 := uuidx.NewV4(), uuidx.NewV4(), uuidx.NewV4(), uuidx.NewV4()
+
+	q, args, err = buildDelete(nid, []*relationtuple.RelationTuple{
+		{
+			Namespace: "ns1",
+			Object:    obj1,
+			Relation:  "rel1",
+			Subject: &relationtuple.SubjectID{
+				ID: sub1,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			Namespace: "ns2",
+			Object:    obj2,
+			Relation:  "rel2",
+			Subject: &relationtuple.SubjectSet{
+				Namespace: "ns3",
+				Object:    obj3,
+				Relation:  "rel3",
+			},
+		},
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// parentheses are important here
+	assert.Equal(t, q, "DELETE FROM keto_relation_tuples WHERE ((namespace = ? AND object = ? AND relation = ? AND subject_id = ? AND subject_set_namespace IS NULL AND subject_set_object IS NULL AND subject_set_relation IS NULL) OR (namespace = ? AND object = ? AND relation = ? AND subject_id IS NULL AND subject_set_namespace = ? AND subject_set_object = ? AND subject_set_relation = ?)) AND nid = ?")
+	assert.Equal(t, []any{"ns1", obj1, "rel1", sub1, "ns2", obj2, "rel2", "ns3", obj3, "rel3", nid}, args)
+}
diff --git a/internal/persistence/sql/relationtuples.go b/internal/persistence/sql/relationtuples.go
index 9d82bee31..4b92bb22c 100644
--- a/internal/persistence/sql/relationtuples.go
+++ b/internal/persistence/sql/relationtuples.go
@@ -6,18 +6,22 @@ package sql
 import (
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/ory/keto/ketoapi"
-
 	"github.com/gobuffalo/pop/v6"
 	"github.com/gofrs/uuid"
 	"github.com/ory/x/otelx"
 	"github.com/ory/x/sqlcon"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 
 	"github.com/ory/keto/internal/relationtuple"
 	"github.com/ory/keto/internal/x"
+	"github.com/ory/keto/ketoapi"
 )
 
 type (
@@ -165,25 +169,53 @@ func (p *Persister) whereQuery(ctx context.Context, q *pop.Query, rq *relationtu
 	return nil
 }
 
+func buildDelete(nid uuid.UUID, rs []*relationtuple.RelationTuple) (query string, args []any, err error) {
+	if len(rs) == 0 {
+		return "", nil, errors.WithStack(ketoapi.ErrMalformedInput)
+	}
+
+	args = make([]any, 0, 4*len(rs)+1)
+	ors := make([]string, 0, len(rs))
+	for _, rt := range rs {
+		switch s := rt.Subject.(type) {
+		case *relationtuple.SubjectID:
+			ors = append(ors, "(namespace = ? AND object = ? AND relation = ? AND subject_id = ? AND subject_set_namespace IS NULL AND subject_set_object IS NULL AND subject_set_relation IS NULL)")
+			args = append(args, rt.Namespace, rt.Object, rt.Relation, s.ID)
+		case *relationtuple.SubjectSet:
+			ors = append(ors, "(namespace = ? AND object = ? AND relation = ? AND subject_id IS NULL AND subject_set_namespace = ? AND subject_set_object = ? AND subject_set_relation = ?)")
+			args = append(args, rt.Namespace, rt.Object, rt.Relation, s.Namespace, s.Object, s.Relation)
+		case nil:
+			return "", nil, errors.WithStack(ketoapi.ErrNilSubject)
+		}
+	}
+
+	query = fmt.Sprintf("DELETE FROM %s WHERE (%s) AND nid = ?", (&RelationTuple{}).TableName(), strings.Join(ors, " OR "))
+	args = append(args, nid)
+	return query, args, nil
+}
+
 func (p *Persister) DeleteRelationTuples(ctx context.Context, rs ...*relationtuple.RelationTuple) (err error) {
-	ctx, span := p.d.Tracer(ctx).Tracer().Start(ctx, "persistence.sql.DeleteRelationTuples")
+	ctx, span := p.d.Tracer(ctx).Tracer().Start(ctx, "persistence.sql.DeleteRelationTuples",
+		trace.WithAttributes(attribute.Int("count", len(rs))))
 	defer otelx.End(span, &err)
 
+	if len(rs) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	return p.Transaction(ctx, func(ctx context.Context) error {
-		for _, r := range rs {
-			q := p.queryWithNetwork(ctx).
-				Where("namespace = ?", r.Namespace).
-				Where("object = ?", r.Object).
-				Where("relation = ?", r.Relation)
-			if err := p.whereSubject(ctx, q, r.Subject); err != nil {
+		for chunk := range slices.Chunk(rs, 500) {
+			q, args, err := buildDelete(p.NetworkID(ctx), chunk)
+			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-
-			if err := q.Delete(&RelationTuple{}); err != nil {
-				return err
+			if q == "" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if err := p.Connection(ctx).RawQuery(q, args...).Exec(); err != nil {
+				return sqlcon.HandleError(err)
 			}
 		}
-
 		return nil
 	})
 }