The death of Suleiman al-Obeid the fabulous Palestine footballer fondly known as the Palestinian Pele had shocked the world of football and humanitarian circles. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has reported that on August 6, 2025, al-Obeid, 41, was shot dead by Israeli forces whilst waiting in a queue to receive humanitarian aid in the busy distribution area in southern Gaza.
About Suleiman al-Obeid
He was a prolific scorer and beacon of hope who played in the best domestic teams such as Khadamat al-Shati, Markaz Shabab al-Amari and Gaza Sport, where he scored over 100 goals in his career. Since 2007 he has been capped 24 times on the international scene up to 2013, marking a scissor-kick goal that fell against Yemen in the 2010 West Asian Football Federation Championship, which will continue to be his iconic moment. The PFA has laid bare the broader impact of the conflict, which highlights that there were at least 662 fatalities within the sporting industry in Gaza since October 2023 (technically, there have been 321 such victims who are directly tied to the football (players, coaches, referees, etc.). Besides, 421 footballers, among them 103 children, are killed directly or die of hunger. The war has also demolished 288 sporting venues with most of them being in Gaza.
A question to UEFA
Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah replied to a vague tribute post by UEFA publicly challenging the organisation to give clarity: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why? His words were strong and served to point out frustration over whitewashed tributes which leave out unpleasant realities.
Can you tell us how he died, where, and why? https://t.co/W7HCyVVtBE
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) August 9, 2025
There were international outcry with former Manchester United hero Eric Cantona commenting on Instagram that the killing was genocide and another ex-Palestinian footballer Jamal al-Khatib writing that the losses of sport personalities in Gaza was growing with the death of al-Obeid being a devastating loss to the football community. Al-Obeid was born March 24, 1984 in Gaza City, but he was more than just a sports icon, he was a husband and father of five children and their lives have irrevocably been altered now.
This tragedy of heart-rending proportions also shows an example of a wider humanitarian crisis: according to UN agencies, more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed near distribution scenes since the end of May, and hospitals in the Gaza District still report deaths because of malnutrition, and hundreds of children are perished on famine-related reasons.
The death of Suleiman al-Obeid is not only a personal tragedy, but the tragedy of conflict taking places and destroying not only lives, but culture, tradition, and dreams. His contribution of potential, perseverance and hope has taken on an added meaning; his name is echoed loudly even when people have gone home.
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