LOS ANGELES, Oct 15, (Agencies): Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber is facing criticism for sharing a post expressing support for Israel, which featured an image of destruction in Gaza.

The 29-year-old singer posted an Instagram story with the phrase "Praying for Israel" superimposed on a photo of a damaged neighborhood in Gaza. However, he deleted the post within an hour and reposted the message with the same text but without the background image.

Bieber is not the only celebrity being criticized for sharing false information. US actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared an image of terrified children appearing to take cover from Hamas rockets, claiming they were Israelis. Fact-checkers confirmed that the image was taken by The New York Times and depicted Palestinian children seeking refuge from Israeli bombings with their families in UNRWA schools within the Gaza Strip.

Misinformation (incorrect or misleading information) and disinformation (intentionally deceptive information) have been widespread in the days following the ongoing violence.

On Wednesday, the White House backtracked on a statement by US President Joe Biden, who claimed to have seen pictures of Israeli children who had been beheaded by Hamas militants. A spokesperson told The Washington Post that the president had not received photographs of such incidents and had based his statements on reports from Israeli media.

The Israeli army also denied having confirmed reports of Hamas beheading babies.