Israeli soldier posts pic of Palestinian boy in crosshairs of his sniper rifle

Palestine: Amidst reports of the death of at least 85 Palestinian children during Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza comes an absolute shocker.

An Israeli soldier has posted on Instagram, an image of a Palestinian boy in the crosshairs of his sniper rifle.

The picture was posted on the Instagram account of Mor Ostrovski, 20, and has sparked outrage, The Guardian reported. The picture has since been deleted, and the account deactivated, Huffington Post reported.

Ostrovsko has claimed that he found the picture on the internet and posted it on his account. It is believed that the picture was taken on January 25, before the latest round of hostilities began.

There are no other images to suggest that the photographer actually fired at the person in the image in this case,” wrote Palestinian activist Ali Abuminah who runs the site Electronic Intifada and drew attention to the photo. “The image is simply tasteless and dehumanising. It embodies the idea that Palestinian children are targets.”

The Israel Defence Forces said it was investigating the photo and said the soldier's actions “are not in accordance with the spirit of the IDF or its values,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz said.

Last week, another soldier was sentenced to 14 days in prison for posting a Facebook photo showing him posing with a group of bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainees.