The number of Palestinian athletes killed by Israel in its genocide on
the Gaza Strip has risen to 1,014, including players, coaches,
referees and Palestinian Football Association officials, a Palestinian
sports official told Anadolu Agency.
The toll increased after Jabalia Services Club player Abdel Fattah Abu al-Aish was killed Saturday when an Israeli strike hit an electric
motorcycle operated by a private delivery company in Gaza CityrCOs Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, Palestinian Sports Media Federation
Secretary-General Mustafa Siam said.
Abu al-Aish had been preparing with his team to compete in the
Thousand MartyrsrCO Cup, a tournament organized by the Palestinian
Football Association that was scheduled to begin Sept. 4, Siam said.
His death comes amid rCLcontinued Israeli attacks on Palestinian
sports,rCY Siam said, adding that the fatalities include players,
coaches, referees and Palestinian Football Association officials.
Israeli attacks have also devastated GazarCOs sports infrastructure, destroying stadiums, clubs, sports halls and academies as well as
bulldozing several sports facilities, he said.
The human losses and destruction have placed Palestinian sports in
what Siam described as an rCLexistentialrCY crisis.
Abu al-Aish played as a defender for Jabalia Services Club in the
Palestinian first division and had briefly played for Ahli Beit
Hanoun. He played as a defender.
His funeral was held in Gaza City on Sunday in the presence of
athletes and Palestinian supporters. Jabalia Services Club mourned him
as one of northern GazarCOs emerging talents.
The losses have not been limited to Gaza. Palestinian athletes have
also been killed in the occupied West Bank, while players, coaches and administrators have been detained, Siam said.
Israel has destroyed more than 50 of GazarCOs 56 sports clubs and about
20 five-a-side football fields established by the Palestinian Football Association with support from FIFA, according to the Palestinian
Sports Media Federation.
Abu al-Aish was killed as Palestinian sports bodies prepared to resume
some activities and competitions despite widespread damage to sports facilities and severe resource shortages in Gaza.
The first steps toward reviving organized sports in Gaza began in
early March with the launch of an official five-a-side football
tournament. Only three fields that had escaped destruction were
available to host the competition.
Efforts to revive sports face major challenges due to the destruction
of facilities and loss of personnel.
Israel launched its genocide on Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 wounded, most of them
women and children, according to Palestinian figures.
Despite the ceasefire in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, Israel continues
to violate the agreement, with attacks that have killed 1,320
Palestinians and wounded 4,385 others, mostly women and children,
according to GazarCOs Health Ministry.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260831-1014-palestinian-athletes-ki lled-by-israel-during-gaza-genocide-sports-official/
| Sysop: | Amessyroom |
|---|---|
| Location: | Fayetteville, NC |
| Users: | 74 |
| Nodes: | 6 (0 / 6) |
| Uptime: | 01:18:36 |
| Calls: | 1,194 |
| Files: | 1,352 |
| D/L today: |
1 files (1,580K bytes) |
| Messages: | 290,958 |