Mohammad Al-Satri was killed while waiting for aid in Rafah, as Palestinian sports mourn the loss of over 774 athletes and scouts since Israel’s war on Gaza began.
Palestinian footballer Mohammad al-Satri, a striker for Al-Nuseirat Services Club, was killed by Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday while waiting for humanitarian aid in the Al-Shakoush area, northwest of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses reported that al-Satri was among hundreds of displaced Palestinians gathered in the area in hopes of receiving flour and other basic supplies when Israeli forces opened fire. He was struck by live bullets and succumbed to his wounds shortly after.
Al-Satri’s killing highlights the growing toll of the Israeli war on Gaza on Palestinian sports.
Just last month, former national team and Services Club star Suleiman Al-Obeid—widely known as the “Palestinian Pele”—was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of civilians waiting for aid in southern Gaza.
Both athletes had been symbols of Palestinian football, representing local clubs as well as the national team.
Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub warned last month that Palestinian sports are facing “an unprecedented catastrophe,” noting that more than 774 athletes and sports officials have been killed since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its ongoing assault on Gaza.
According to Rajoub, among the dead are 355 football players, 277 members of sports federations, 142 Palestinian Scouts, and 119 others who remain missing.
At a press conference in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh, Rajoub accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian athletes and sports institutions as part of its campaign of extermination in Gaza.
He called on FIFA to take “an immediate decision against the Israel Football Association,” stressing that the international community cannot remain silent while Palestinian sport is being systematically destroyed.
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Ongoing Genocide
Since reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has continued its bloody aerial bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians.
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 65,000 Palestinians, with more than 165,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
(PC, AJA)
