Suleiman Al-Abid, known as the “Pele” of Palestinian football, was killed by an Israeli tank shell while waiting in line for food in southern Gaza, ending his dream of playing until the age of fifty. His family said the shell ended that dream prematurely by ten years when he died last week. His widow, Duaa Al-Abid, keeps his number 10 jersey from his club Khidmat Shati in Gaza, one of the few mementos she has from her late husband who was only 41 years old. Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah criticized UEFA for not mentioning the cause of Al-Abid’s death in their obituary and reposted their statement with a critical question: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” The Palestinian Football Association said Al-Abid was killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza while waiting to receive aid. His family stated that a tank shell took his life.

In response to Salah’s post on X, Israeli army spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said, “Hello Mohamed, after an initial review, we have not found any records of incidents related to Suleiman Al-Abid. For further verification, we need more details.” Al-Abid, who played for the Palestinian national team, was still playing for his club in Gaza when the Israeli aggression began in October 2023. Israel’s military campaign on Gaza has been described by international organizations as “genocide,” killing about 61,000 Palestinians, mostly children, women, and the elderly, and causing massive destruction to the densely populated sector’s schools and hospitals. Most Palestinian casualties resulted from airstrikes, artillery shells, and random gunfire, but an increasing number are dying of hunger. His widow Duaa said Al-Abid continued playing despite the difficulties. She added, “He used to go train, he never stopped, not even for a day.

During this war crisis, amid rockets and genocidal strikes, he would gather his friends and loved ones and go play.” Their daughter Enas described his love for football: “Passion… he knew what passion meant… he loved it. If someone told him to come play football, he would jump and say he wanted to go play. He would come home at the end of the day happy, telling us he scored goals, not just one goal… he made us happy and joyful.” The Palestinian Football Association said hundreds of athletes and sports officials are among the martyrs due to the Israeli aggression that destroyed most sports facilities. Palestinian football fans say they will focus not on the tragic martyrdom of Al-Abid but on his legacy.

Hassan Balaawi, a barber in Gaza City, said, “Suleiman is a big deal for us as children of Shati Camp… the camp’s children shout his name, calling him (the famous French player Thierry) Henry and Palestine’s Pele.” He added, “This player was like a gazelle… you know what a gazelle means. When he went on the field, we enjoyed watching him, and Palestine enjoyed him.”