Israel kills Palestinian footballer alongside family in Gaza
Imad Abu Tima becomes one of an alarming number of Palestinian athletes Israel has killed against the backdrop of FIFA’s procrastination in banning the regime from international competitions.
A Tuesday Israeli airstrike on eastern Khan Yunis, the southern Gaza Strip, killed the 21-year-old footballer.
Abu Tima played for the Ittihad Khan Yunis club. He represented Palestine’s under-20 national team in 2021, according to media reports.
He is among over 400 Palestinian athletes Israel has killed, according to data from Palestine’s National Olympic Committee.
In July, the Palestine Football Association reported that at least 245 football players had been killed in Israeli strikes, including 69 children and 176 young men.
During the 74th FIFA Congress held on May 17 in Bangkok, Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub highlighted Israel’s “systematic violations” of FIFA statutes, urging the organization to vote on banning Israel from international football activities. “I ask you to stand on the right side of history and vote now.”
FIFA’s dilly-dallying on suspension of Israel makes it complicit in Gaza genocide
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 5, 2024
By Alireza Akbarihttps://t.co/HozrP2RByL pic.twitter.com/5bUBjNLHeW
In response, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organization would seek legal advice before deciding on the Palestinian proposal.
He indicated that the matter would be addressed during an extraordinary session of the FIFA Council in late July.
World football governing body, FIFA, says it has delayed a decision on a Palestinian request to suspend Israel from international football over the regime’s war crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.https://t.co/2pRl7R0vo1 pic.twitter.com/0NGpQA7v6J
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) July 19, 2024
However, on July 19, FIFA released a statement, saying “more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness.”
The assessment, it added, would be shared with the FIFA Council for any subsequent decision “no later than August 31, 2024.”
On August 31, FIFA once again delayed its review of the Palestinian bid, stating that the assessment would be sent to the FIFA Council for discussion at its next meeting in October.
8-#RedCardIsrael: Calls to ban Israel from global football grow as FIFA meets on July 20 pic.twitter.com/3AY0PtpVYq
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) July 17, 2024
Palestine's push to suspend Israel from international football competitions dates back to 2014.
Israel's ongoing military campaign of genocide in Gaza has resulted in more than 42,000 deaths and around 100,000 injuries since October 2023.
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