Palestinian Paralympic athlete Fadi Eldeeb, who took part in the Paralympics shot put event, says he's not representing himself only but also "over 11 million Palestinians, both within our country and abroad. Today, I represent the voice of every Palestinian to convey our message to the world about the Palestinian cause and what's happening in Palestine." As Palestine's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, Eldeeb commented that raising the flag at the 2024 Paralympics sent a powerful message to the world; one that screams, "We are still alive. We still need our human rights. We still need our freedom." Eldeeb became paraplegic after being shot in the back by an Israeli occupation soldier in 2001 during the second Intifada (uprising) against the Israeli occupation.