Palestinian footballer killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza

By Mohamad Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian footballer was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Football Association said Tuesday.

Mohammed Barakat lost his life in a raid targeting him in Khan Younis city on Monday, the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the association said in a statement.

Nicknamed the “legend of Khan Younis,” Barakat, Gaza’s first centurion of goals and one of its top scorers, represented the Palestinian national team several times.

The 39-year-old forward played for several football clubs, including the Khan Younis Youth Club, which he captained. He also played in the occupied West Bank and Jordan, including Al-Wehdat, as well as Saudi Arabian club Al-Shoala.

His death brought the number of Palestinian sportspeople killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip to 158, including 91 footballers, since last October.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 22 sports facilities were destroyed and five sportsmen detained in Israeli attacks and raids since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

Nearly 31,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 72,900 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.