Humans of Gaza: Young football star Rasheed Al-Nemes killed with entire family

By Alireza Akbari

Amid the genocidal war, the Israeli regime on Friday killed 31-year-old footballer Rasheed Al-Nemes along with his family in an attack targeting their home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The attack came as the death toll from the year-long war on the besieged territory continues to mount, claiming innocent lives, including young and promising athletes. 

More than 450 Palestinian athletes, including almost 350 footballers, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli-American genocidal war on the coastal strip that completed one year earlier this month 

Among the prominent athletes killed in Gaza before Al-Nemes was Hani Al-Masdar, coach of the Palestine Olympic Football Team, whose life was cut short by an Israeli airstrike in January.

Back in April, Israeli offensives killed three promising young talents from Al-Wahda Academy in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

The following month, the football community mourned the loss of three players from Al-Ahli Gaza—Ahmad Abu al-Atta, Anas Iqilan, and Muhammad Barakat—who also fell to the violent Israeli onslaught.

According to Palestinian media, at least seven athletes have been killed in the past two weeks.

These include Hassan Azzam, Khadamat Jabalya basketball player; Imad Abu-Tima, Ittihad Khan Younis footballer; Deeb Hussan, arm wrestling champion; Ibrahim Al-Jamel and his cousin, academy players; Salah Osama Shaaban, a player of short stature team; Mohammed Abu-Asi, volleyball player and Majdi Salem, a league footballer.

The Israeli military offensive has unleashed a catastrophic blow to Palestinian sports, resulting in the tragic killings of athletes, coaches and referees.

This brutal campaign has not only claimed lives but has systematically targeted sports facilities throughout the besieged Gaza Strip, turning a vibrant scene of athleticism into a landscape of ruin.

From grand stadiums to local gyms, the majority of Gaza's sporting infrastructure has been annihilated. The Khan Yunis stadium, once a bustling hub for football matches, now lies abandoned, transformed into a makeshift refugee camp where dreams have been replaced by despair.

According to reports, at least 50 sports facilities have been reduced to rubble, leaving an entire generation of athletes bereft of their arenas.

Stadiums, training centers, and gyms have been bombed, burned, or bulldozed. In a haunting twist, some of the very football fields that once echoed with the sounds of triumphant goals have been repurposed as cemeteries, bearing witness to the heavy human cost of Israeli genocide in Gaza.

As the world grapples with the harrowing news surrounding the killing of Al-Nemes, activists are once again calling out for accountability, questioning world football's governing body FIFA and other such bodies for complicity in the genocidal war crimes against Palestinians.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) filed a petition back in April, calling for Israel’s suspension, yet FIFA’s inaction continues to echo in the hearts of those yearning for justice.

Al Nemes had carved his name among the Gaza Strip's football elite, boasting a career adorned with numerous trophies and promotions with top clubs like Khadamat Rafah and Ahli Gaza.

Twice crowned champion of the Gaza Strip Premier League, his legacy will always shine in Gaza's football narrative.

The Gaza Strip Premier League, also called the Palestinian Premier League for Gaza, stands as the top-tier football division under the Palestinian Football Association.

Since its establishment in 1984, the league has become a symbol of resilience and passion, rivaled only by the occupied West Bank's Palestinian Premier League. Most of its matches are held at the Rafah Municipal Stadium, which hosts up to 5,000 fans eager to witness the region’s finest compete.

Featuring 12 teams in fierce annual contention, the league's reigning champion, Khadamat Rafah, holds the record for the most titles—an astounding seven.

However, their 2018-2019 Palestine Cup journey ended in controversy when the Israeli regime abruptly canceled the final’s second leg against Markez Balata, denying them a chance at national glory.

Another powerhouse, Ahli Gaza, has a storied history, claiming the league’s inaugural title and maintaining its standing as one of Gaza’s football pillars.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk