Israeli war of genocide kills 1,014 Gaza athletes, destroys facilities as sports rise from rubble

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian Sports Media Association, Mustafa Siam, revealed the martyrdom of 1,014 members of the sports, youth, and scouting movement during the war, including more than 560 players, referees, coaches, and administrators affiliated with the Palestinian Football Association, in addition to the total or partial destruction of more than 265 sports facilities.

These figures reflect the magnitude of the blow suffered by Palestinian sports, which during the years of war lost its cadres and young talents, and its infrastructure was subjected to destruction, at a time when athletes and local institutions are struggling to restore sports activity despite limited capabilities and the wide extent of destruction.

Martyrs inside and outside the stadiums

Siam said, in an interview with Anadolu Agency, that Palestinian sports suffered widespread destruction since the start of the war in October 2023, explaining that the losses included official sports institutions and facilities, headquarters of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Olympic Committee, and the Palestinian Football Association, as well as a large number of clubs, academies, and federations.

The losses were not limited to facilities, but also affected the athletes themselves, as the Palestinian sports movement lost nine players from national teams and prominent figures in football, including international player Sulaiman Al-Obeid, who was shot dead by occupation bullets while trying to get food, and Olympic team coach Hani Al-Masdar, who was martyred in a Zionist regime’s bombardment.

These losses constitute a major depletion of Palestinian sports, which lost players, coaches, referees, administrators, and talents that were relied upon to develop sports and represent Palestine in local and international competitions.

The martyrdom of this number of athletes does not represent a loss to their families and clubs only, but leaves a long-term impact on the future of sports in the Strip, given the difficulty of compensating specialized cadres and rebuilding institutions that were subjected to destruction.

More than 265 destroyed facilities

In parallel with targeting sports cadres, sports infrastructure in Gaza suffered widespread destruction, as more than 265 sports facilities were totally or partially destroyed, according to the figures announced by Siam.

The destruction hit stadiums, facilities, and administrative headquarters, leading to reducing the available spaces to practice sports, disrupting activities of clubs and federations, and depriving thousands of youths and children of training and competition environments.

Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, which is one of the oldest stadiums in the Strip, emerged as an example of the harsh transformations imposed by the war; as the stadium turned into a shelter center for displaced people who lost their homes, after the priority became securing shelter for families amid widespread destruction and displacement.

This situation places sports institutions before accumulated challenges, starting with repairing facilities, securing equipment and supplies, and not ending with reorganizing competitions, rehabilitating players and coaches, and restoring life inside clubs.

Attempts to restore sports activity

Despite the magnitude of losses, Palestinian sports institutions began steps to revive activity in the Gaza Strip, benefiting from periods of calm that followed the entry of the ceasefire agreement into force in October 2025.

Siam said that the Palestinian Football Association held meetings with clubs in the Strip to set a plan to restore sports activity, and has managed since then to organize four tournaments for seniors, juniors, and beach football, despite the destruction that hit most stadiums and facilities.

These steps reflect an attempt to preserve what remains of the sports movement, and give players and youth an opportunity to resume training and competition, at a time when available capabilities remain limited compared to the scale of needs.

The “Thousand Martyrs Cup” tournament was also held, with the participation of clubs from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, honoring the athletes who were martyred during the war, and turning their names into part of the Palestinian sports memory.

The importance of these initiatives is not limited to resuming matches, but extends to rebuilding social ties between youth, and providing space for psychological and social recovery after years of bombardment, displacement, and loss of family members, according to Siam.

Sports between destruction and the will to live

The process of sports recovery in Gaza faces major obstacles, foremost of which is the destruction of facilities, lack of equipment and capabilities, and the difficulty of providing an appropriate environment for training, in addition to human losses that hit various components of the sports movement.

The continuation of these conditions means that restoring activity cannot be limited to holding tournaments sporadically, but requires a broader path to rehabilitate stadiums and facilities, support clubs and federations, nurture emerging talents, and provide conditions that allow athletes to return to training and competition.

While sports institutions try to restore their activity, the toll of martyrs and destruction remains a witness to the scale of loss suffered by the Palestinian sports sector during the war; behind every figure is a player, coach, or referee, and behind every destroyed facility is a space that embraced talents, dreams, and collective activities.

Nevertheless, Palestinian sportsmen continue their attempts to rise from beneath the rubble, holding fast to the right of youth and children to practice sports, and to preserving a Palestinian presence on the playing fields, in the face of a situation imposed by the war on every aspect of life in the Gaza Strip.