GAZA, (PIC)
Amid the rubble of destroyed walls and the danger of narrow alleyways, a group of children decided to snatch moments of joy by playing a soccer match. Their city, devastated by attacks, no longer had a space dedicated to sports activities. Sports clubs were nonexistent, and teams had nowhere to gather. Left with no alternatives, the children sought a reprieve from the world of death and destruction, creating moments of happiness with the meager resources available to them.
For a few minutes, the ball moved between their feet. But soon, an Israeli aircraft launched a missile near them, targeting a residential building. Thick smoke billowed from the site, and the children’s joyous play turned to sheer panic. They fled in fear, leaving behind their ball and a stark symbol of how even the simplest childhood joys are denied in a landscape scarred by death and devastation.
As with everything else in Gaza under the relentless Israeli aggression—ongoing for approximately 15 months—the sports sector has suffered unprecedented destruction. Sports activities, clubs, and players across various disciplines have been decimated, with hundreds killed, injured, or detained.
With a soaring number of casualties, injuries, and arrests following Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza, sports clubs and facilities were transformed into detention centers and execution sites for civilians. These spaces, once havens for recreation and the nurturing of athletic talent, have been stripped of their purpose.
Israeli airstrikes have entirely destroyed numerous key facilities: the UNDP stadium in Rafah, the Friends Equestrian Club, Jabalya Services Club, the baseball and softball field in the Shati Camp, and the headquarters of the Palestinian Olympic Committee. Additionally, the Palestinian Football Association, the Higher Council for Youth and Sports, Palestine Stadium, Gaza Sports Club Stadium, and Khan Yunis’ City Sports Complex—along with dozens of other clubs and sports grounds—have been obliterated.
The latest statistics from the Palestinian Football Association reveal that 704 athletes and scouts have been killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Hundreds of sports facilities have been destroyed, and the figures are not final due to the high number of missing persons and limited access to information.
The Association announced on its official Facebook page that among the victims are 387 individuals affiliated with football as players, administrators, or workers. The casualties include 94 children and 273 young adults. Additionally, 105 scouts and 196 individuals from other sports federations were killed.
It also reported that 24 football players have been detained in the West Bank, while no information is yet available on the detention of athletes in Gaza. The Israeli occupation has destroyed 278 sports facilities—268 in Gaza and 18 in the West Bank.
Sports journalist Ahmed Al-Agha stated that 70% of Gaza’s sports facilities, clubs, and halls have been completely destroyed, with initial losses in the sports sector estimated at $20 million. This staggering toll is the result of the targeted destruction of buildings, facilities, and fields.
Al-Agha also highlighted the deaths of hundreds of athletes in various disciplines, including football, tennis, volleyball, and handball. Among the prominent athletes killed are football striker Mohammed Barakat, a player for the Palestinian national team and a professional for Jordan’s Al-Wehdat Club and Palestine’s Al-Shula Club. Others include goalkeeper Shadi Abu Al-Arraj from Khan Yunis Youth Club and the club’s technical director, Taha Kallab.
Al-Agha believes that the occupation aims to erase every marker of Palestinian identity and culture by turning everything into scenes of destruction and war. He cited the transformation of Yarmouk Stadium into a detention center where civilians were executed. The stadium is now being used as a shelter for displaced families.
He further pointed out that the latest statistics from Gaza’s Higher Council for Youth and Sports show that 6,000 individuals—players, coaches, administrators, and employees—whose sole source of income came from sports activities, have lost their livelihoods due to the systematic targeting of the sports sector.