The Palestinian man had been detained at a holding facility when a military police guard photographed him and sent the image to his family, falsely claiming he had been kidnapped, the Times of Israel reported.

In a separate report, Israeli Army Radio said the soldier demanded the family transfer money in exchange for his release.

Confirming the case to AFP, the military said an investigation had been launched but declined to provide details.

"Following the incident, an inquiry has been opened by the Internal Inquiry Unit," it said in a statement.

"We will not provide details of the inquiry while it is ongoing."

The Palestinian had been detained while attempting to enter Israel illegally from the occupied West Bank, the Times of Israel reported.

Israeli security officials say a significant number of Palestinians from the West Bank attempt to enter Israel illegally, often by climbing over a barrier separating Jerusalem from the Palestinian territory.

They are driven largely by economic hardship and the loss of work permits since the start of the Gaza war, Palestinian officials say.

Most of them are arrested, while some have died or been injured fleeing from Israeli forces, Palestinian officials add.

An Israeli parliamentary committee said in October that around 6,000 Palestinians attempted to enter Israel in this way last year, with about 5,300 arrested.

Israel began building the barrier at the height of the second Palestinian intifada that erupted in 2002, saying it was needed to maintain security amid suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Israeli cities.

The barrier cuts into many parts of the West Bank, and Palestinians see it as a land grab and de facto border illegal under international law.

Palestinians also say the barrier has exacerbated an economic crisis in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.