At least 47 Palestinian athletes killed by 'Israel' since October 7
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Cited by Palestine’s official WAFA news agency on Friday, the committee's statement relays that the “Israeli destruction machine” killed at least 47 athletes from different teams and individual sports.
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A boy plays football next to a mural painted by Palestinian artist Ali Al-Jabali on the remains of a building on April 30, 2019. (AP)
The Palestinian Olympic Committee confirmed that at least 47 Palestinian athletes have been killed by "Israel's" genocide in Gaza since October 7.
Cited by Palestine’s official WAFA news agency on Friday, the committee's statement relayed that the "Israeli destruction machine" killed at least 47 athletes from different teams and individual sports, in addition to 17 technicians and administrators since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Six-year-old karate player Yasmine Sharaf was among those killed, after having her dream of representing Palestine in international competitions killed alongside her.
Five athletes and other sports-related employees, it noted, have been arrested by Israeli forces which also inflicted physical injuries on them.
Read more: US uses veto power, blocks UNSC resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire
The statement continued that "Israel’s" ceaseless bombardment did not leave out sports facilities, such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) stadium, Beit Hanoon Stadium, three equestrian clubs, a baseball field, and many martial arts centers.
Dreams come true, but "Israel" kills them
A report by Anadolu Agency last month tackled the double standards employed by the European and the world football's governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA, which did not issue a statement condemning or sanctioning "Israel" as they had for Russia when the war in Ukraine was launched last year.
This little Palestinian kid had big dreams; he wanted to become a football player just like @Cristiano, but Israeli missiles destroyed his home and dreams altogether. pic.twitter.com/zkyNMkx6Tf
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 20, 2023
UEFA and FIFA also did not suspend Israeli clubs and national teams from their competitions despite "Israel's" ongoing genocide on Gaza, while Russian clubs and national teams were banned from international competitions, and remained barred from partaking in the FIFA World Cup or UEFA EURO competitions.
The International Federation of Journalists noted that so far, 68 journalists have been murdered since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, which includes 61 Palestinians, and three Lebanese journalists.
Even humanitarian aid workers are killed by "Israel", as confirmed by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini who said that over 130 confirmed UNRWA staff, predominantly with their families, have been killed by Israeli bombings.
