Palestinian Pelé reported killed in Israeli attack

The Independent and AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, August 9, 2025, p. a11

Former Palestinian football star Suleiman Al-Obeid was killed after being shot several times in the latest Israeli attack in the southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) reported.

Former Palestinian national team player Suleiman Al-Obaid was killed in an Israeli attack on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip , the PFA said in a statement on social media Wednesday. The player, originally from Gaza City, was 41 years old, married, and the father of five children.

He began his career at the local club Khadamat Al-Shati and with his outstanding performance he remained active for almost a decade and a half.

Due to his speed and technique, he was nicknamed the Palestinian Pelé and considered one of the most talented midfielders to play in the Gaza Strip League, earning him the nickname in honor of the Brazilian.

His name resonated throughout the region, scoring more than 100 goals throughout his career and playing 24 international matches for the national team, where he scored two goals.

According to the association, his death brings to 321 the number of members of the football association—including players, coaches, referees, administrators, and board members—who have been killed since the Israeli offensive, which began on October 7, 2023.

Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than 1,300 Palestinians at aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial group created by Israel and the United States at the expense of international agencies.

Both the UN and established charities have criticized the GHF's aid plan for not adhering to humanitarian principles.

In a damning report released Thursday, titled “This Is Not Aid, It’s Orchestrated Slaughter ,” Doctors Without Borders denounced Israel’s food distribution program as “institutionalized starvation and dehumanization.”

GHF distribution sites are dangerously short of any recognized standards for safe and dignified humanitarian distributions , he said.