Old image does not show Israeli soldier crushing girl in Gaza

Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas has reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and killed thousands of civilians -- including children. But a photo of a girl supposedly being crushed under the boot of a soldier is unrelated to the war; the image has circulated for more than a decade and appears to show street theater in Bahrain.

"#IsraeliChildAbusers An IDF agent stands with his boot on the chest of a little Palestinian girl of perhaps age 8. His machine gun points directly within inches of her face," says Jamal Al-Mulla, a Kuwaiti entrepreneur, in a November 29, 2023 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.