1,014 Palestinian athletes killed by Israel during Gaza genocide: Sports official

Hosni Nedim and Mohammad Sio

The number of Palestinian athletes killed by Israel in its genocide on the Gaza Strip has risen to 1,014, including players, coaches, referees and Palestinian Football Association officials, a Palestinian sports official told Anadolu.

The toll increased after Jabalia Services Club player Abdel Fattah Abu al-Aish was killed Saturday when an Israeli strike hit an electric motorcycle operated by a private delivery company in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, Palestinian Sports Media Federation Secretary-General Mustafa Siam said.

Abu al-Aish had been preparing with his team to compete in the Thousand Martyrs’ Cup, a tournament organized by the Palestinian Football Association that was scheduled to begin Sept. 4, Siam said.

His death comes amid “continued Israeli attacks on Palestinian sports,” Siam said, adding that the fatalities include players, coaches, referees and Palestinian Football Association officials.

Israeli attacks have also devastated Gaza’s sports infrastructure, destroying stadiums, clubs, sports halls and academies as well as bulldozing several sports facilities, he said.

The human losses and destruction have placed Palestinian sports in what Siam described as an “existential” crisis.

Abu al-Aish’s career and funeral

Abu al-Aish played as a defender for Jabalia Services Club in the Palestinian first division and had briefly played for Ahli Beit Hanoun. He played as a defender.

His funeral was held in Gaza City on Sunday in the presence of athletes and Palestinian supporters. Jabalia Services Club mourned him as one of northern Gaza’s emerging talents.

The losses have not been limited to Gaza. Palestinian athletes have also been killed in the occupied West Bank, while players, coaches and administrators have been detained, Siam said.

Israel has destroyed more than 50 of Gaza’s 56 sports clubs and about 20 five-a-side football fields established by the Palestinian Football Association with support from FIFA, according to the Palestinian Sports Media Federation.

Abu al-Aish was killed as Palestinian sports bodies prepared to resume some activities and competitions despite widespread damage to sports facilities and severe resource shortages in Gaza.

The first steps toward reviving organized sports in Gaza began in early March with the launch of an official five-a-side football tournament. Only three fields that had escaped destruction were available to host the competition.

Efforts to revive sports face major challenges due to the destruction of facilities and loss of personnel.

Israel launched its genocide on Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 wounded, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.

Despite the ceasefire in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, Israel continues to violate the agreement, with attacks that have killed 1,320 Palestinians and wounded 4,385 others, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.