Said Odeh, 16, was shot dead by three bullets from an Israeli sniper. His dream of being a soccer player died with him too.

On Wednesday evening, Said ate the Iftar with his family, and then went out, as usual, to spend time with his friends in the village of Odla, south of Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank.

At the entrance to the village, the Israeli occupation was setting up a military checkpoint for the third day after the Za'tara checkpoint operation. Said and his friends could not accept the scene that the occupation soldiers besieging their village and controlling who entered or exited it, so they burned the tires and began to confuse the soldiers.

The Israeli occupation soldiers fired live ammunition at Said, and he fell on the ground. His friends tried to rescue him, but the Israeli occupation soldiers shot at them, wounding two of them.

Youssef Odeh, the father of Said, told Safa with a broken heart, "After Iftar, I went to my work. I received news that the occupation had arrested my son, and then they told me that he had been martyred, so I did not believe until I got to the hospital."

Big Shock

The first to receive the shock of Said's death was his uncle Fayez Abdul-Jabbar, who was a Red Crescent ambulance officer who went to carry out his medical duty, without knowing the identity of the martyr.

Abdul-Jabbar reported to Safa: "We received a report of an injury at the entrance to Odla, so we moved immediately. When we arrived, we saw a young man lying on the ground surrounded by ten patrols, but the occupation soldiers prevented us from reaching him."

He added, "After a quarter of an hour, the patrols withdrew. They allowed us to reach the martyr, who was covered with a blanket. When I removed the cover, I was shocked that he was Said, my nephew."

He pointed out that the martyr was hit by three bullets, one in the chest, the second in the back, and the third in the hand.

Abdul-Jabbar said: “I screamed at the officer: What did this child do to you to kill him? Did he come to you on a tank?!”

The End of a Dream

Ahed Abdel-Rahim, a relative of Said, noted that Said dreamed of being a brilliant footballer, as he possessed great sports skills and promising capabilities.

Abdel-Rahim added to Safa "A few days ago, Said played a match for the Balata Youth Center team, and he was very happy that they won. He informed me of his dream to become a great player."

Three years ago, Said joined the Palestinian-German Academy of Pele, which selected him among eight of its players to support the youth team at the Balata Youth Center.

Mustafa Abu Safiya, Director General of the Academy, told Safa that Said was an excellent player, and he was one of the most beloved players among his colleagues and his fans.

Abu Safiya pointed out that due to his distinction, he represented Palestine in three foreign Championships. He was also chosen within the team at the Academy to represent Palestine at the Academy’s main headquarters in Germany.

Said will not play his next match, nor will he compete in any football championship after today, as he won the Medal of Martyrdom, the highest degree of any championships.