The photo depicts a blindfolded Gaza man stripped to his underwear and restrained face down on a cot while in Israeli custody, reports Reuters.
Israel says the image is genuine and has acknowledged that the treatment it depicts "does not align" with its military's values. But it has yet to say who the man is or where he is being held.
That has added to the anguish of two Palestinian mothers, Rana Abu Nassar and Joudeh Al-Ghoul, each of whom is absolutely certain that the man being mistreated in the image is her own missing son.
In the screenshot of an Instagram post, the man's hands are bound behind his back, his right foot tied to the bottom corner of the cot. A wooden rod is bound to the back of his body, running from his right foot up to his neck. His face is mostly obscured.
The Instagram post, uploaded by a user whose account appears to have been deleted, had the words "good morning" in Hebrew written over the photo.
The military said it had identified the incident, an enquiry was underway "and those involved will be dealt with in accordance with the findings". A spokesperson did not disclose the name of the man or the location of his detention.
Abu Nassar said that from the moment she saw the photo two days ago, she knew it was her son Osama.
"I know the details of his body. He has swelling in his foot and scars on his leg — the same swelling on his left leg I saw in the picture," she said.
She said that was the first image of him she had seen since he was arrested in March in an area near Israel's armistice line with Hamas militants.
Osama's arrest on Mar 19 gained international attention because he was detained along with his 1-year-old child, who was released the same day with what his family said were cigarette burn marks on his legs.
