For nearly two years, the Gaza Strip has been enduring a genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation forces, a relentless assault that has spared no segment of Palestinian society. This has unfolded amid a troubling international silence and blatant political complicity, turning Gaza into an open arena for destruction and systematic human rights violations.
In this context, Palestinian athletes have not been spared. On the contrary, they have been a direct target of a deliberate policy aimed at draining Palestinian society of its vital energies and undermining its social and cultural foundations.
Local sports bodies have reported that 662 Palestinian athletes have been killed since the start of the assault, in systematic acts of killing that have targeted both sportspeople and sports facilities alike.
According to data from the Palestinian Football Association, among the dead are 321 athletes affiliated with the Association, including players, coaches, administrators, referees, and club board members, as well as athletes from other sports.
The Association has also documented the destruction of 264 sports facilities, 184 of which were completely demolished, while the rest sustained severe damage, which is a clear evidence of the deliberate targeting of the sports infrastructure in the Strip. This constitutes a flagrant violation of the rights to life, development, and cultural and sporting participation, as enshrined in international conventions.
The latest victim was former Palestinian international footballer Suleiman Al-Obeid, aged 41, one of the most prominent stars of Palestinian football, who was killed on Wednesday while waiting for humanitarian aid in the south of the Strip.
Al-Obeid, who played 24 international matches with the Palestinian national team and scored unforgettable goals, began his career at Shabab Al-Shati Club before later playing in the West Bank, where he won the Premier League title with Markaz Al-Am’ari Club. Over the years, he scored more than 100 goals and was regarded as a sporting icon in Palestine.
Before Al-Obeid’s killing, player Muhannad Al-Lee, star of Khadamat Al-Maghazi Club, was killed after his home in the central Strip was bombed. Player Hamdan Imad, 22, from Shabab Rafah Club, was also killed when an Israeli drone directly targeted him with a missile. In December 2023, brothers and fellow players Mohammed and Mahmoud Khalifa were killed when their home in Al-Nuseirat camp was bombed.
On a wider scale, Gaza’s population is enduring a fully-fledged humanitarian catastrophe. More than 288,000 families are homeless, and over two million displaced people are scattered across tents, schools, and streets in conditions devoid of the basic necessities of life, with no clean water, no sanitation, no food, and no medicine. Famine has spread, claiming many lives, including dozens of children.
Official figures from local authorities record 61,258 killed, 152,045 injured, and more than 9,000 missing, while the international community remains either a passive observer or complicit.
In light of the atrocities inflicted on Palestinian athletes, these crimes must be recognised as part of the ongoing genocide targeting an entire people. The killing of athletes and the destruction of their facilities represents the killing of a civilian spirit, an attempt to erase everything that connects this people to life.
