'Israel' kills footballer Rasheed al-Nemes, entire family in Gaza
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Al-Nemes had established himself among Gaza’s football elite, with a career marked by numerous achievements.
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Palestinian football player martyr Rasheed all-Nemes (Social media)
Israeli occupation forces on Friday killed 31-year-old footballer Rasheed al-Nemes and his family in an airstrike that targeted their home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Alireza Akbari wrote for Press TV on Monday.
The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which marked its one-year anniversary earlier this month, has killed over 450 Palestinian athletes, including nearly 350 football players, Akbari highlighted.
According to the report, al-Nemes had established himself among Gaza’s football elite, with a career marked by numerous achievements, representing top clubs like Khadamat Rafah and Ahli Gaza.
It added that al-Nemes joins a list of notable Palestinian athletes, including Hani al-Masdar, coach of the Palestine Olympic Football Team, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in January.
In April, three young talents from al-Wahda Academy in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, were also killed by Israeli occupation forces. The following month, the football community mourned three players from al-Ahli Gaza; Ahmad Abu al-Atta, Anas Iqilan, and Muhammad Barakat as a result of Israeli airstrikes, Akbari mentioned.
Reports from Palestinian media confirm that at least seven Palestinian athletes have been killed over the past two weeks. These include Hassan Azzam, Khadamat Jabalya basketball player; Imad Abu-Tima, Ittihad Khan Younis footballer; Deeb Hussan, arm wrestling champion; academy players Ibrahim al-Jamel and Salah Osama Shaaban; volleyball player Mohammed Abu-Asi, and league footballer Majdi Salem.
According to the report, the Israeli war has devastated Palestinian sports, killing athletes, coaches, and referees and systematically destroying Gaza’s sports infrastructure, "turning a vibrant scene of athleticism into a landscape of ruin."
It referenced the Khan Younis Stadium, "once a bustling hub for football matches, now lies abandoned, transformed into a makeshift refugee camp."
At least 50 sports facilities in Gaza have been reduced to rubble, leaving an entire generation of athletes without access to their training grounds, Akbari indicated, citing reports.
Stadiums, gyms, and training centers have been bombed, burned, or bulldozed. Some football fields now even serve as cemeteries, bearing witness to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the writer added.
At FIFA’s congress in Bangkok in May, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) called for the suspension of the Israeli Football Association and for a ban on Israeli teams from participating in FIFA events.
In early October, world football’s governing body, FIFA, withheld a decision on the Palestinian request to suspend "Israel", opting instead to initiate committee investigations to guide a future resolution.
Originally, FIFA was scheduled to hold an extraordinary council session before July 20 to review an independent legal analysis and determine its course of action. However, the deadline was extended to allow legal experts more time to complete their report.
Read more: BDS: FIFA shielding 'Israel' from ban until after Olympics
