The Palestinian Football Association announced that player Ahmad Abu Al-Ata and his family were killed in their home during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, bringing the total number of Palestinian athletes killed since October 7 to more than 300.
In a statement on Saturday, the association reported that Abu Al-Ata, a 34-year-old defender for Al-Ahli Palestinian Club, was killed along with his wife, Dr. Ruba Ismail Abu Al-Ata, and their two children when an airstrike hit their home in Gaza City. Local media reported that the airstrike occurred on Friday, though the association did not specify the exact timing.
Last Monday, the association also reported that international referee Hani Mesmah succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip last May. This month, Palestinian Olympic Committee President Jibril Rajoub stated that more than 300 athletes, referees, and sports officials have been killed since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October, with all sports facilities in the region destroyed.
Among the deceased is also football player Mohammad Barakat, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis in March, and international assistant referee Mohammad Khattab, who was killed along with his wife and four children in an Israeli attack on Deir al-Balah in Gaza in February.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Sunday that at least 37,598 Palestinians have been killed and 86,032 others injured in the Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7.
In May, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) ordered an urgent legal assessment of a proposal submitted by the Palestinian Football Association, supported by the Asian Football Confederation, to suspend Israel’s participation in all club and national team competitions due to the war in Gaza. FIFA announced that it will discuss this issue in an extraordinary council meeting next July.
