Video claims to show boy rescuing young girl in Syria

A video purporting to show a young Syrian boy braving intense gunfire as he saves a little girl is igniting online debate as thousands of viewers question its authenticity.

The video was uploaded to YouTube earlier today with the English text "Syrian hero boy rescue girl in shootout. See this!" as well as Arabic script that translates to "Syrian boy hero".

It appeared on a new YouTube channel, with no history of posting videos from the region. 

The video has amassed more than 200,000 views in 8 hours and has been picked up by multiple sites and news outlets.

The authenticity of the video is unknown.  

Some viewers have speculated the boy fakes being shot in order to get a break in the gunfire, before running up and shepherding the cowering girl to safety, while others have declared the entire clip a viral hoax.

Commenters have shared the video while praising the boy's courage and condemning those who would shoot at children - an allegation which has previously been levelled at those participating in the Syrian conflict.

"This is the first upload of the "Syrian Boy Hero" video. English in title. No other videos on account. Is it real?" wrote Storyful executive editor David Clinch on Twitter.