IDF Instagram of child in crosshairs was from February
Another old photo causes outrage on social media – so how reliable are the #GazaUnderAttack images?
An image from earlier this year of a Palestinian child caught in the cross-hairs of an Israeli sniper's rifle has gone viral – again.
The picture was posted to Instagram by Israeli Defence Force soldier Mor Ostrovski in February last year and was widely discussed and condemned.
The image was initially discovered in by the news site Electronic Intifada, which reports on the conflict in Gaza from a Palestinian perspective. They described the image as "disturbing, tasteless and de-humanising" and said it promoted "the idea that Palestinian children are targets".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But following the bloodiest day of the conflict so far, the image has re-emerged on social media.
Some Twitter users were quick to point out that the image was not from the most recent outbreak of violence, but by then the picture had already been shared hundreds of times.
Some users appeared to accept that the image had been recycled, but insisted the Israeli military continued to show a similar attitude towards Palestinians.
Images from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are often re-cycled, a BBC investigation found. Some of the images under the popular hashtag #GazaUnderAttack are from previous conflicts in Gaza and others are from separate wars in Syria and Iraq.
One user who posted an inaccurate image under the hashtag told the BBC she deleted it as soon as she realised it was from Syria, but the image had already been re-tweeted countless times.
"It's disappointing that images get shared quite quickly," she said. "I guess that's the different between the internet and credible newspaper publisher where pictures are from a source."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Government shutdown looming? Blame the border
Talking Points Democrats and Republicans say funding for immigration enforcement is the budget battle's latest sticking point. That's about all they agree on.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Conservatives have not limited their attack on reproductive rights to the US'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How Gaza war is setting up Israeli and Lebanese dating app users
Under the Radar Military GPS jamming is causing geolocation mismatches and having a 'surprising' side effect
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Threads: will privacy fears scupper Meta’s Twitter ‘killer’?
Under the Radar Mark Zuckerberg’s new Threads app has launched but data protection rules mean it isn’t yet available in the EU
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet Published
-
Meta to offer verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram
Speed Read
By Harold Maass Published
-
Spain spends €258m on trains too big for tunnels
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Animal shelter will name cat litter tray after your ex
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
‘Unsettling’ bid to bring dodo back to life
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Instagram scales back short-form videos, recommended posts after negative feedback
Speed Read
By Kelsee Majette Published
-
‘Stop trying to be TikTok’: how Instagram’s makeover has alienated users
Why Everyone’s Talking About Head of social network responds after users gave redesign the thumbs-down
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published