Palestinian football star killed in Israeli attacks

Palestinian football legend Suleiman Obeid was killed along with civilians awaiting humanitarian aid in an Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza. The 41-year-old former national team footballer has plunged the region's sports community into mourning.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) announced that the death toll of athletes since the beginning of the war reached 662. Obeid's death has become one of the most striking symbols of the devastation wrought by war on the world of sports.

He was known as the "Palestinian Pelé"

Born in Gaza on March 24, 1984, Suleiman Obeid began his football career with Khadamat al-Shati. He later played for Markaz Shabab al-Am'ari and Gaza Sport in the West Bank.

He played 24 times for Palestine, a career that began in 2007. Obeid, who scored two goals for the national team, is remembered for his bicycle kick against Yemen in the 2010 West Asian Football Federation Championship. Having scored over 100 goals throughout his career, Obeid was known as the "Palestinian Pele" by footballing experts.

WAR ENDED SPORTS IN PALESTINE

According to data from the Palestinian Football Federation, at least 662 athletes and their families have lost their lives since the war began. Of these, 421 were football players and 103 were children. Additionally, a total of 288 sports facilities—268 in Gaza and 20 in the West Bank—were either damaged or completely destroyed.

While the war's targeting not only civilians but also cultural and sporting venues has had traumatic consequences for the people of the region, the death of Suleiman Obeid has been described as a profound loss for the Palestinian people, both in sporting and humanitarian terms.