Reporter Johan-Matthias Sommarström posted this picture of a young Palestinian boy on Twitter after the boy approached him and said: 'I'm a journalist'

This is the face of a young Palestinian boy who has become a picture of strength in Gaza after playing dress-up as a journalist while the ongoing conflict surrounds him.

The youngster, believed to be no more than six years old, stands proud in his homemade ‘flax jacket’ and borrowed Press helmet as he poses for the camera.

The image was taken by a Swedish radio journalist after the youngster approached him and said: 'I am a journalist. I am reporting on what is happening here, this is my flak jacket.’

Reporter Johan-Matthias Sommarström, who has watched the photo be shared more than 5,500 times since he posted it on Twitter yesterday, said it was a powerful example of the Palestinian child’s strong will to survive.

He took the photo after the youngster approached him as he returned to his hotel following an afternoon of reporting in war-torn Gaza city.

Mr Sommarström is staying with a number of international journalists who are all following the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants which broke out on July 8.

He said he offered his Press hard hat, emblazoned with the word TV, after the young boy walked up to him and said: ‘I am a journalist.’

He then posted the picture on Twitter with the caption: ‘Young boy in #Gaza pretending to be a journalist with his home-made flak jacket, had to lend him my helmet.’

Mr Sommarström said: ‘For a moment he shone with pride. His friends were laughing happily and dancing around him. He got a little embarrassed and then I took the picture.’

The image has received widespread response online and has become one of the most shared pictures from Gaza since the conflict began.

‘Working in war means that you see things you do not want to see. Dead children torn beyond recognition, desperate parents, endless sorrow, destroyed homes,’ Mr Sommarström told Radio Sweden.

‘For me the picture is a powerful example of children's strong will to survive. He has seen us journalists go in and out of the hotel, he has seen that we survive.

'I think that in his pretending play he wants to be like us, someone who survives.’

The image comes just hours after Israel and Hamas agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the conflict which broke out on July 8. Pictured: Thick smoke rises after an Israeli missile strike hit Gaza City on Thursday afternoon

The fighting in Gaza has so far killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and 50 Israelis

Hundreds of people have commented on the image, with many describing it as both heart-warming and heart-breaking.

Richard Hoefer ‏said: 'That's sweet! Even in times of such despair, a child's positive imagination is not shut down.Please help him stay alive.'

While Hannah Jermy responded: 'So powerful seeing a kid act like a kid in a war zone rather than being portrayed simply as a victim.'