Jamie Lee Curtis deletes photo of Palestinian children in post supporting Israel after backlash

Jamie Lee Curtis has taken to Instagram after facing backlash for posting a photograph of Palestinian children, calling for 'all children to be protected'.

A Palestinian militant group called Hamas has launched an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend, entering Jewish communities near the border with Gaza, killing residents and taking others hostage.

The Israeli military claim at least 700 people have died in the attacks, more than 2,000 have been injured, and that a number of hostages are being held in Gaza.

Curtis came under fire after she re-shared a photograph taken by Samar Abu Elouf for the New York Times, which captures Palestinian families seeking 'refuge with their children from the northern Gaza Strip to UNRWA schools inside Gaza City'.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, the 64-year-old actor re-shared the image alongside the caption: "TERROR FROM THE SKIES @samarabuelouf @nytimes."

Her caption concluded with an emoji of the Israeli flag and it didn't take long for people to flood to social media in confusion over Curtis' post and caption.

One Instagram user said: "Just to clarify, this picture is from Gaza. The children looking up at the rockets are Palestinian."

"That's Arabic in the back there, look at the store signs. If that was in Israel, it would be Hebrew," another wrote.

And a third commented: "Girl, wtf is the message here? You have a photo of Palestinian children taken by a Gaza-based Muslim photojournalist with an Israeli flag in the incredibly manipulative caption."

People also took to platforms such as Reddit and X - formerly known as Twitter, with one user theorizing Curtis may have confused the children as Israeli children opposed to Palestinian kids.

Another user said: "Yes @jamieleecurtis, this is truly barbaric. It's a picture of Palestinians in Gaza being bombed from the sky by Israel. Nice propaganda that you refuse to delete even after being called out."

However, Curtis deleted the post and has since taken to social media once again, clarifying her stance.

In a post to Instagram earlier today (Monday, 9 October), Curtis shared an image of two children holding hands.

The caption reads: "In war ALL CHILDREN should be protected. @my_hand_in_yours we are dedicated to the care and treatment of critically ill or injured children @childrensla who will treat ANY child regardless of their family's ability to pay. @ericachan37.

"Pray for peace."

Ultimately, whatever Curtis was trying to do with her since-deleted post shouldn't take the main focus away from what is currently happening in Israel.

On its website, Save the Children states: "Following an escalation in violence between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces this weekend children’s lives are under threat.

"Children have been killed and injured in every major escalation, not to mention suffering from serious mental health impacts. "Today, the existing humanitarian situation for families in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is already dire with 1.2 million children in need of humanitarian assistance.

"It's crucial to take action today. The needs are huge, but so is our determination to reach every last child in crisis."

You can support Save the Children by donating here.