Latest news with #KhadamatAlShati
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Palestinian Pelé' killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza
A footballer known as the 'Palestinian Pelé' has been killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA). Suleiman al-Obeid was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, the PFA said. ''During his long career, al-Obeid, 41, scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football,' it said. Born in Gaza on 24 March 1984, Obeid began his footballing career with Khadamat al-Shati, later playing for Markaz Shabab al-Am'ari in the occupied West Bank, and Gaza Sport. A fixture in the Palestinian national side after his debut in 2007, Obeid gained 24 caps and scored twice, the PFA said, most memorably with a scissor-kick against Yemen during the 2010 West Asian Football Federation championship. His talent on the pitch earned him the nickname of 'the Palestinian Pelé' – a nod to the legendary Brazilian widely hailed as one of the greatest players of all time. His death adds to a growing toll of athletes lost in Gaza since the war began, with at least 662 sportspeople and their relatives reported to have been killed. 'The number of footballers killed or who died from starvation has reached 421, including 103 children,' the PFA said. Obeid is survived by his wife and five children. According to the PFA, 288 sports facilities have been damaged or reduced to rubble across Gaza and the West Bank, from stadiums and training grounds to gyms and clubhouses. The vast majority, 268, were in Gaza, while 20 were in the West Bank, with about half serving football directly. Among the sites hit was the PFA's headquarters in Gaza, struck during an Israeli air raid. More than 1,300 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the vicinity of aid distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since the US- and Israeli-backed logistic group's launch in late May.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Palestinian Pelé' shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza, football association says
Suleiman al-Obeid, a former Palestine national football team player dubbed the "Palestinian Pelé", was shot dead Wednesday by Israeli troops who opened fire on people waiting to receive humanitarian aid, the Palestinian Football Association said. Former Palestine national team player Suleiman al-Obeid, known as the "Palestinian Pelé", has been killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, the sport's local governing body said. Obeid, 41, was killed Wednesday when Israeli forces "targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip", the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement. With Gaza in the throes of a hunger crisis caused by Israel's severe restrictions on the amount of humanitarian aid it allows into the besieged territory, the UN rights office said last month that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,300 Palestinians trying to get food aid in the enclave since late May. Around 12,000 children aged under five in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, and hunger-related deaths are rising, the World Health Organization has said. An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 international matches for team Palestine, the PFA said. "During his long career, Al-Obeid scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football," it added. The midfielder also played for the Al-Amari Youth Center Club in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. While living there in 2010, Obeid was among six players on the national team from Gaza who were turned back at the Jordanian border for "security reasons" on their way to a friendly in Mauritania. An Israeli security official said at the time that the players had failed to renew special permits allowing them to play in the West Bank. "When I heard that we would be forbidden from travelling I was very upset, because any athlete dreams of wearing his national jersey in international forums," Obeid told AFP in 2010. "We want to be able to travel freely with our families, just like athletes anywhere else in the world." Israel had previously allowed the six players to travel with the team. Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children. Since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 662 people from the sport and scouting sector have been killed, including 321 in the football community, according to the PFA. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,258 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. (FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
Arab News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Palestinian ex-footballer killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
JERUSALEM: Former Palestine national team player Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the 'Palestinian Pele,' has been killed by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip, the sport's local governing body said. Obeid, 41, was killed Wednesday when Israeli forces 'targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip,' the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement. With Gaza in the throes of a hunger crisis, the UN rights office said last month that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,300 Palestinians trying to get food aid in the territory since late May. An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 international matches for team Palestine, the PFA said. 'During his long career, Al-Obeid scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football,' it added. The midfielder also played for the Al-Amari Youth Center Club in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. While living there in 2010, Obeid was among six players on the national team from Gaza who were turned back at the Jordanian border for 'security reasons' on their way to a friendly in Mauritania. An Israeli security official said at the time that the players had failed to renew special permits allowing them to play in the West Bank. 'When I heard that we would be forbidden from traveling I was very upset, because any athlete dreams of wearing his national jersey in international forums,' Obeid told AFP in 2010. 'We want to be able to travel freely with our families, just like athletes anywhere else in the world.' Israel had previously allowed the six players to travel with the team. Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children. Since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 662 people from the sport and scouting sector have been killed, including 321 in the football community, according to the PFA. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,258 in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Palestinian Pelé' killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza
A footballer known as the 'Palestinian Pelé' has been killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA). Suleiman al-Obeid was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, the PFA said. ''During his long career, al-Obeid, 41, scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football,' it said. Born in Gaza on 24 March 1984, Obeid began his footballing career with Khadamat al-Shati, later playing for Markaz Shabab al-Am'ari in the occupied West Bank, and Gaza Sport. A fixture in the Palestinian national side after his debut in 2007, Obeid gained 24 caps and scored twice, the PFA said, most memorably with a scissor-kick against Yemen during the 2010 West Asian Football Federation championship. His talent on the pitch earned him the nickname of 'the Palestinian Pelé' – a nod to the legendary Brazilian widely hailed as one of the greatest players of all time. His death adds to a growing toll of athletes lost in Gaza since the war began, with at least 662 sportspeople and their relatives reported to have been killed. 'The number of footballers killed or who died from starvation has reached 421, including 103 children,' the PFA said. Obeid is survived by his wife and five children. According to the PFA, 288 sports facilities have been damaged or reduced to rubble across Gaza and the West Bank, from stadiums and training grounds to gyms and clubhouses. The vast majority, 268, were in Gaza, while 20 were in the West Bank, with about half serving football directly. Among the sites hit was the PFA's headquarters in Gaza, struck during an Israeli air raid. More than 1,300 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the vicinity of aid distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since the US and Israeli-backed logistic group's launch in late May.
