Remembering Faris Odeh - young Palestinian boy and icon of resistance - on his 23rd death anniversary

November 8 marks 23 years since the killing of Faris Odeh, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy from Gaza, who was fatally shot in his neck by Israeli forces after picking up a stone and throwing it at an IDF tank.

Faris, a resident of Zaitoun quarter in Gaza, had a habit of throwing stones at Israeli tanks, doing it religiously while going to school and when returning. He would tell his friends his wish to die as a martyr for Palestinian cause, reported The Washington Post.

The picture below, taken by a photojournalist from the Associated Press on 29 October 2000, became an icon of Palestinian resistance

Faris Odeh

On November 8, 2000, during Al-Aqsa Intifada, or, the second intifada, when Faris was again throwing stones at Israeli tanks, his life was cut short by an Israeli bullet that pierced through his neck.

It is widely speculated that the triggers for Palestinian uprising were rooted in the events surrounding the 2000 Camp David summit, which was supposed to have resulted in a final settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in July 2000.

The first outbreak of violence erupted in September 2000, following a provocative visit by the then Israeli opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, to the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem.

Gaza ministry says 10,569 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7, which includes over 4250 children.

In the past 24 hours, a significant number of Palestinians have lost their lives due to a fresh series of Israeli air strikes targeting Khan Younis in the southern region, Nuseirat in central Gaza, and Jabalia in the northern area.

The Israeli forces have cut off all water supplies to the Gaza Strip as fuel and supplies have completely exhausted.