Gaza football star killed in Israeli strike, raising athlete death toll to 585
The attack took place on Monday at the al-Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza. Lay's death makes him the second football player to be killed this week in the besieged enclave.
Lay was a player for the Al-Maghazi Services Club and the Palestinian national football team.
The Palestinian Football Association said in a statement that: "A drone fired a missile at Muhannad's room on the third floor of his home, causing him to suffer a severe skull haemorrhage, which led to his death."
The association noted that the footballer attempted to travel outside the blockaded strip to join his wife in Norway before the outbreak of the war, but he was prevented from leaving and was not able to see his family.
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His club mourned his loss in a Facebook post and offered their condolences to loved ones, writing: "Al-Maghazi Services Club mourns the martyrdom of its hero and star, captain Muhannad Fadl al-Lay, who was injured in the bombing of their home last week.
"We ask God to have mercy on him and to grant him a place in His spacious gardens. To God we belong and to Him we shall return."
Lay had begun his career as a player with the same club before progressing into its youth categories and being part of efforts to reach the Palestinian Premier League during the 2016/2017 season.
He later moved to the Jabalia Youth Club, playing for two seasons, before he transfered to the Gaza Sports Club.
Lay suffered a knee injury, which halted his career for a while. He later returned to the Maghazi club.
His death brings the total number of athletes killed during Israel's over 600-day war on Gaza to at least 585, including 265 football players.
Earlier in the week, the Palestinian Football Association announced the death of football player Mustafa Abu Amirah, who was killed during an Israeli strike on a beachfront cafe in Gaza City.
The Israeli bombardment of al-Baqa Cafe on Gaza City Beach killed at least 33 Palestinians, wounding around 50 others.
Malak Musleh, Gaza's youngest female boxer, was also killed in the cafe attack.
Israeli attack on Gaza City beach cafe kills dozens, including journalist Read More »
Over 57,130 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's war on Gaza over the past 21 months, leaving more than 135,170 others wounded, and many more missing under the rubble.
Israel has regularly targeted both Gaza's sports infrastructure and its athletes in an onslaught that began on 7 October 2023.
Attacks have damaged 264 sports facilities in the besieged enclave, with 184 of them completely destroyed.
A total of 12 stadiums, built with funding from Fifa, are among the facilities that have been destroyed. Other stadiums have been transformed into shelters for the displaced.
In late June, a group of legal experts - including two former UN special rapporteurs - told Fifa that Israel and its football association is breaking international law by holding professional football matches on occupied Palestinian territory.
The unprecedented letter to international football's governing body comes as it continues to deliberate over whether it should sanction the Israeli Football Association (IFA), following a proposal submitted by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) in March 2024.
Over a year later, two Fifa committees are still investigating the PFA complaints, one of which relates to discrimination by the IFA, the other to Israeli football teams playing in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
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