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Israel has killed over 700 athletes in Gaza since October 2023

Sunday, 12 January 2025 6:31 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 12 January 2025 6:31 PM ]

Israel has killed 708 athletes in Gaza. (Design by Palestine Chronicle)

The Palestinian Sports Media Association (PSMA) has announced that the Israeli military has killed 708 Palestinian athletes, including 95 children, since the regime launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The head of the PSMA, Mustafa Siyam, said those killed included 369 football players, 105 members of scouting organizations and 234 athletes from various sports federations.

He added that the figures reported are not final due to ongoing airstrikes, the presence of missing persons under the rubble and limited access to areas.

Among the latest victims were Ahmed Haroun, coach of Al-Ribat Palestinian Handball Club, killed by Israeli artillery in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and Anas Al-Dabaji, a young football player, who died in an airstrike that hit his family’s home in Gaza.

The official revealed that Israel also destroyed 273 sports facilities, including stadiums, gyms and club facilities, either partially or completely.

Siyam accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian sports as part of the social and cultural fabric of Gaza, describing the attacks as an "existential challenge" for the sports.

100 days on, Israel continues 'to eradicate life' in north Gaza: Hamas

Over the past 100 days, the people of northern Gaza have "endured horrific scenes of killing, ethnic cleansing and destruction.

“These attacks will significantly impact the future of Palestinian sports in the Gaza Strip and have devastating effects on thousands of athletes,” said Siyam.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Siyam demanded that the international community and global sports federations "take immediate action to halt Israel's violations and protect Palestinian athletes and sports facilities."

Israel has killed over 350 footballers in Gaza since October 2023

Israeli forces have killed more than 350 Palestinian football players since it launched its campaign of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

The developments came as the Israeli regime kept pounding the besieged Gaza Strip indiscriminately.

Gaza civil defense agency has said Israel killed at least 70 Palestinian children in the last five days.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ousted war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 7, 2023.

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