Suleiman Obeid, considered one of the best ever Palestinian football players, has been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, when he was trying to get humanitarian aid. The "Pelé of Palestine", as he was often referred, was 41 when he was shot and killed near an aid distribution centre in Southern Gaza.
"Former national team player and star of the Khadamat al-Shati team, Suleiman Al-Obeid, was martyred after the occupation forces targeted those waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday", the Palestinian Football Association said (via Al Jazeera).
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Obeid was one of the stars of Palestinian football, playing since 2005 until his retirement in 2023, scoring over 100 goals. He also played 24 international matches for the Palestinian national team for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
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According to Palestinian officials, 662 athletes and family members have been killed in Gaza, and 321 people from Palestinian football, including players, managers, referees, or administrators, have been murdered.
Obeid was one of the 18 people reportedly murdered on Wednesday when they were seeking humanitarian aid. Over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution centres run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Al-Jazeera. Four people died of famine in the last 24 hours.
Further reading: UN official warns about catastrophic consequences if Israel occupies Gaza
Just earlier this week, we reported that the Palestinian national football team had relocated to Chile, the non-Arab country with the largest Palestinian population, estimated in over 500,000 people. Their aim is to build a formative centre and train the future stars of the team that will work for getting Palestine into World Cup 2030, after being closer than ever before for the 2026 edition.
The national manager, Ehab Abu Jazar, whose family lives in the Strip, said that "sports practically don't exist in Palestine anymore", but will still work "to make the name and flag of Palestine present".