Syrian rebels behead 12-year-old Palestinian boy

A video on social media appeared to show Syrian rebels beheading a Palestinian boy who they accused of being a pro-government fighter.

The video, posted online on Tuesday, shows a group of men in the back of a truck cutting off the head of the terrified boy.

Before the gruesome murder, the men accused the boy of being a member of the Liwa al-Quds (Jerusalem brigade), a Palestinian armed group fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The Jerusalem brigade posted a statement on its official Facebook page yesterday, identifying the boy as 12-year-old Abdullah Issa, who they said was not a fighter.

“He lived in al-Mashhad (Aleppo) with his family, among multiple poor families that live in the area under the control of terrorists,” read the statement, adding that the boy was ill.

“By taking one glance at the child – the argument that he was a fighter is immediately disapproved,” the group said.