Gaza’s athletes starved, displaced and killed as sport became a casualty of Israel’s war

Israeli attacks have killed more than 800 Palestinian athletes and officials in Gaza, nearly half children.
Among the victims are Olympian Majid Abu Marakhil, Paralympian Ahmad al-Dali, and footballer Suleiman al-Obeid.
Ninety percent of Gaza’s sports facilities have been destroyed, leaving athletes displaced, starving, and without training.
Former players and bodybuilders say survival has replaced sport, with hunger and bombing defining daily life.

Al Jazeera’s Moath al-Kahlout reports from Gaza city.
Palestine’s head coach Ehab Abu Jazar told Al Jazeera that the Israeli genocide has wiped out sport in Gaza and halted leagues nationwide.
He criticised global silence, contrasting it with strong sporting solidarity shown during the Ukraine war.
Despite devastation, Abu Jazar says Palestinian athletes still fight to represent their people and hope for peace.

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Post from Al Jazeera on August 17, 2025

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