Images of a man in a wheelchair throwing rocks during a protest in Gaza have been shared thousands of times, after he was mistakenly identified as one of the people killed in the demonstrations along the Israel–Gaza border Monday.
AFP photographer Mahmud Hams identified the man as 29-year-old Saber al-Ashqar, not Salah, and said he had photographed him at a protest on May 11.
GAZA STRIP - A Palestinian hurls rocks during clashes with Israeli forces along the border with the Gaza strip, as Palestinians demonstrate for the right to return to their historic homeland in what is now Israel. 📷 @MahmudHams #AFP https://t.co/P8Wv8zUzRb
Salah, who lost his legs in 2008, was one of 60 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers as a result of the protests.
His friend Walid Mahmoud Rouk shared this tribute and confirmed Salah's death to BuzzFeed News.
His feet were amputated years ago by Israeli artillery shelling, then he lived his life for a several years with the rest of his body. Today, the Israeli sniper killed the half which lived from his body . Fadi Abu Salah A Dear neighbor and Friend . R.I.P
Rouk told BuzzFeed News that he had known Salah for years and that the two had been neighbors. He explained that in 2008 Salah was wounded during another protest and had lost both of his feet.
Monday was the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 war. Palestinian leaders said 2,700 people were injured in the violence.
Eight children were killed, including an 8-month-old baby.
At the funeral of an 8-month-old baby in Gaza. Her mother left her home and went to the protest yesterday. The girl started crying uncontrollably, so her uncle brought her to her mother, and she died from tear gas. https://t.co/kE6M1dQH4J
The massive protests are part of the Great Return March, with thousands of Palestinians marching to the border each week.
Hams, the AFP photographer who took the photo being massively shared, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that he understood Ashqar had not been killed yesterday.
He said he met Ashqar last Friday, when he was at the demonstration at the border – the latest of several protests he had attended. There were so many people at the border, Hams said, that he hadn't seen him again.
But people have continued to share the images of Ashqar.
His legs were taken away by a an Israeli rocket, and his soul was taken away today by Israeli bullets, along with 50 other Gazans. These people are fighting for their life, and for a right granted to them by international law: the right of #return! #FadiAbuSalah #Gaza #Palestine https://t.co/4p26BCHbgN
Fadi Abu Salah, 29 years old was killed toldsy by the Israeli army in #Palestine #PrayForGaza #Nakba70
Fadi Abu Salah was 29 years old, first they took his land, then they took his legs, today they took his life. #JerusalemEmbassy #Jerusalem https://t.co/e7PBe2VFP1
Palestinian Fadi Abu Salah, who lost his legs in an Israeli airstrike in 2008, killed near #Gaza border while protesting against opening of US embassy in #Jerusalem. #Nakba70 #القدس_عاصمه_فلسطين_الابديه #مسيره_العوده_الكبري https://t.co/oMMKC6inDb
The false name and images were also shared internationally.
Il a survécu à un premier attentat terroriste 🇮🇱 mais il avait perdu ses jambes. Cette fois, il n’y pas survécu. Le résistant & courageux Fadi Abu Salah vient d’être abattu. Le bilan s’élève à 40 tués. Aucun dirigeant occidental n’a condamné pour le moment #Gaza #Jérusalem https://t.co/21rIQ4UtEP
People who supported the protests also started sharing cartoons and sketches.
Fadi Abu Salah #KalbimizFilistinde