A Tunisian teenager named Fares Khaled climbed onto the roof of an educational institution in Tunisia’s Manouba province on Monday to raise the Palestinian flag. He slipped and fell to his death.
While the act may seem baffling to an Israeli reader, across the Arab world, Khaled quickly became a viral sensation and was hailed as the “martyr of the flag.”
The funeral of Fares Khaled
Tunisian officials told Al Jazeera that the young man attempted to reach the highest point of the building to raise the flag but lost his balance and fell from a height of roughly 20 meters. The network also reported that his friends said he was deeply committed to the Palestinian cause, closely followed developments in Gaza and frequently posted pro-Palestinian content on his social media accounts.
Other sources cited by the channel said that Khaled had recently played the role of a wounded Palestinian in a theater performance about the war in Gaza.
Activists visited Khaled’s home to offer condolences to his family. A mosque in his neighborhood described him as “one of the finest young men,” saying he never missed a prayer, a Quran lesson or a feast to break the fast during Ramadan.
Khaled’s father said he welcomed his son’s “martyrdom” and sent a message to the people of Gaza, saying he had “sent them their brother.” A letter written by the father was later circulated online, in which he described how important the Palestinian cause had been to his son. “He chose to be the first to raise the flag,” he wrote. “I write with tears in my eyes, but my head is held high. I’m proud of him. May Allah support what is right and raise the flag of the Palestinian cause.”
Many figures inside and outside Tunisia were quick to express their condolences, including Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who awarded Khaled a medal “in recognition of his great sacrifice and his commitment to solidarity with the Palestinian people and their rights.”
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Tunisia’s Ministry of Higher Education issued a statement saying Khaled “died in a tragic accident while attempting to raise the Palestinian flag,” and suspended classes for two days. The Palestinian embassy in Tunisia, the General Union of Palestinian Students, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Palestinian Islamic Jihad also issued condolence statements. Hamas’ youth wing called the incident “a heroic act.”
Fatah’s spokesperson in Tunisia, Abd al-Fattah al-Fattah, said the movement regarded Fares Khaled as “a Palestinian martyr, a martyr of freedom and humanity and a symbol of unity among free nations.” His funeral was held Tuesday in a mass procession, with his body wrapped in a Palestinian flag.