Today would have been the 17th birthday of my late student, Hatem Al-Za’aneen.
Hatem was the most talented student I ever taught. Israel killed him on October 5, 2024, while he was searching for firewood to help his family survive. Even now, it feels unreal, a nightmare I haven’t woken up from.
After class, he used to wait for me so we could walk together to the school gate before everyone went their separate ways.
Later, Israel destroyed the very school where this photo was taken, where Hatem studied and where I taught.
Hatem, I will never forgive your killer. I will carry your memory in my heart and share it with others for as long as I live.
And thank you for visiting me in my dreams.
(Photo was taken in May 2022. Hatem was 13 years old.)