Israeli forces kill ‘Pele of Palestine’
Former player of the Palestinian national football team, Suleiman Obeid, was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday in Gaza. The incident was confirmed by medical sources in the besieged territory, according to a report by the Spanish news outlet Marca.
In a statement, the country’s football association said that 41-year-old Obeid was waiting for humanitarian aid when he was shot.
This killing is part of the continuous brutal assaults on Gaza’s civilians, which have been ongoing for 22 months.
Suleiman Obeid is not the only victim. Just last month, Israeli forces killed 39 athletes, scouts, and youth representatives. Since the start of this genocide, more than 660 members of the Palestinian sports and youth community have lost their lives.
Obeid was famously known as the ‘Pele of Palestine.’ A father of five, he began his football career with Shabab Al-Shati (Beach Services Club), a team based in his hometown of Gaza. Later, he played for Al-Amari Club in the West Bank.
He scored his first international goal for the Palestinian national team during the 2010 West Asian Football Championship against Yemen. He also participated in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
