Palestinian media sources from the Gaza Strip confirmed, on Monday, the killing of citizen Khaled Nabhan (Abu Diya), the owner of “Spirit of the Spirit,” the poignant phrase that has become a symbol for thousands of civilian victims in the Gaza Strip as a result of the war that has been going on for more than a year.

The people of Nuseirat Camp, where he was killed in an Israeli artillery shelling, according to the Palestinian Information Center, mourned him, joining his two grandsons, Tariq (5 years old) and Reem (3 years old), who were killed in an Israeli raid in November 2023.

The scene of Abu Diaa’s farewell, with his long beard, turban, and tears, as he hugged Reem tightly and said, “This is the soul of the soul,” had a great impact, winning the sympathy of millions around the world. At that time, he took a ring from her ear and hung it on his garment to keep it as a memory of him. The rubble of their house left Tariq’s sports medal hanging around his neck.

After his death was announced, many accounts inside and outside the Palestinian territories reacted to this news, and their owners expressed deep sadness and the tragic ending to a story that touched the hearts of millions. 

The phrase “Spirit of the Soul” caught on around the world on social media, and became an icon in hundreds of billboards and slogans in support of the Palestinians. It was printed on T-shirts and even appeared during a match among a crowd of fans in a football match, which they raised in English to show their solidarity with the people of the besieged Gaza Strip.< /p>

Later, the man appeared in many photos and video clips providing moral support to the families of the civilian victims of the war in Gaza, which for many supporters of the Palestinian cause represented a symbol of steadfastness and patience during the bloody war that resulted in the killing of more than 45,000. A person in the Gaza Strip, according to figures from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics located in Ramallah in the West Bank.