An Israeli soldier sleeps near the central Gaza Strip
An Israeli soldier sleeps in a field near the central Gaza Strip July 11, 2014. Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed four more Palestinians before dawn on Friday, raising the death toll from the four day offensive to at least 85, while a Palestinian rocket hit a fuel tanker at a Israeli petrol station causing a huge blaze. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

A row is brewing over the wrong use of photo that carried news report of young sergeant Guy Boyland of Kiwi origin, killed in Gaza. According to reports in TVNZ, the young soldier died in a battle with Hamas gunmen in Gaza on Friday. But the flip flop by a news paper New Zealand Herald made the news more controversial.

According to reports, the newspaper mistakenly published the photo of the late Ryan Dunn, a Jackass star, thinking it to be the soldier's photograph. The news report had the headline 'New Zealand-born Israeli soldier killed in Gaza.' The caption of the report said Guy Boyland was taken to Israel as a 2-year-old and raised on a kibbutz.

Photo Mess

After the controversy erupted, Herald published an open apology on Twitter for the blunder and released a statement. The statement by editor Shayne Currie said the newspaper apologised unreservedly to the family and friends of Guy Boyland for the incorrect use of images in the paper and its Web site.

It has been reported that soldier Boyland had been a fan of Ryan Dunn and posted his idol's photo on the Facebook page. The TV icon lost his life in a car crash in the US, a few years ago.

The editor accepted the responsibility for the error and noted the family of the soldier was remarkably forgiving. He apologised for adding to their grief and promised to keep updated on how this bloomer happened. The Editor reiterated that the newspaper is absolutely serious and assured that such mistakes will not happen again.

Brave Young Man

Sergeant Guy Boyland, 21, was serving as a combat engineer for the Israeli 7th Armoured Brigade. On Friday, Guy Boyland was investigating a tunnel when he was attacked from behind by Hamas gunmen. Two more soldiers were wounded.

This was revealed by his grandfather who was quoted in Radio New Zealand. The elder Boyland said his grandson was very passionate about the military career and lived life on the edge.

Born in New Zealand, Boyland moved to Israel with his Israeli mother Adva, father Glenn and sister Kim when he was two years old.