Israel probes Instagram picture of child in crosshairs

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli army said on Tuesday it has launched an investigation after a soldier allegedly posted a picture on Instagram of a Palestinian child's head in the crosshairs of his sniper rifle.

The picture, which went viral on the Facebook-owned picture-sharing website before it was removed, shows a child sitting with his back to the sniper's telescope, with its crosshairs on the left side of his head.

The gun is pointing out of a window in the direction of what appears to be a Palestinian neighbourhood or village.

Israeli media said the image was uploaded by 20-year-old sniper Mor Ostrovski to Instagram last week, and it caused an uproar after it spread throughout social media networks.