More than 800 athletes have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s offensive on October 7, 2023, as the sports community continues to suffer under bombardment, famine and the collapse of infrastructure, according to Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said 421 football players were among the 808 athletes killed in Gaza over the past 22 months, nearly half of them children.
The latest victim was former Palestinian national team footballer Suleiman al-Obaid, who was killed on Wednesday while waiting for humanitarian aid.
The PFA said in a statement: “Former national team player Suleiman al-Obaid was martyred during an attack by occupation forces while waiting for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.”
Al-Obaid, 41, born in Gaza and father of five, was regarded as one of the brightest stars in Palestinian football history. He played 24 official matches for the national team and scored two goals.
Since October 2023, the number of footballers killed or who have died from starvation has reached 421, including 103 children, according to the PFA.
At least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The toll includes those killed in airstrikes, ground assaults, and at least 193 who died from hunger due to the Israeli blockade.
The ongoing Israeli assault — now in its second year of genocide in Gaza — has devastated Palestinian sports.
Athletes, coaches and referees have been killed, and entire sports facilities have been bombed, burned or repurposed as mass graves.
Some 90 percent of sports infrastructure in Gaza has reportedly been destroyed.
The PFA said 288 sports facilities have been partially or fully destroyed by Israeli forces across Gaza and the West Bank, including stadiums, gyms and football clubs. Among them was the PFA headquarters, struck by Israeli air strikes.
Of the destroyed facilities, 268 were in Gaza, while 20 were in the West Bank. Half of them served Palestinian football directly.
Alongside the attacks, famine and malnutrition have intensified across Gaza, leading to a near-total collapse of athletic life. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 193 people have died from hunger since the start of the blockade.
The United Nations and humanitarian groups have warned of mass starvation as Israel’s blockade continues to cut off aid, fuel and food supplies to Gaza’s population.
Gaza residents, including athletes, are increasingly abandoning sports activities as they struggle to survive amid bombardment, displacement and the growing risk of starvation.
