Group's head demands international community, global sports federations ‘take immediate action to halt Israel's violations and protect Palestinian athletes and sports facilities'
The Palestinian Sports Media Association (PSMA) reported Saturday that 708 athletes, including 95 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.
The head of the PSMA, Mustafa Siyam, told Anadolu that the deaths of handball coach Ahmad Haroun from the Rabat Handball Club and Anas al-Debji, who played for the Deir al-Balah and Al-Jalaa clubs, raised the number of athletes killed to 708.
He noted that Haroun was killed in an artillery strike targeting his home Friday in the west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, while al-Debji was killed in an airstrike that hit his family's home Wednesday in the west of Deir al-Balah .
Siyam said those killed include 369 football players, 105 members of scouting organizations and 234 athletes from various sports federations.
He revealed that Israel destroyed 273 sports facilities, including stadiums, gyms and club facilities, either partially or completely.
“These attacks will significantly impact the future of Palestinian sports in the Gaza Strip and have devastating effects on thousands of athletes,” said Siyam, adding that the figures reported are not final due to ongoing airstrikes, the presence of missing persons under the rubble and limited access to areas.
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.
He demanded that the international community and global sports federations "take immediate action to halt Israel's violations and protect Palestinian athletes and sports facilities."
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 victims, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
