Suleiman Obeid, one of the most talented players in the early 2000s in Palestine, was killed Wednesday by Israeli gunfire while hoping to receive food amid the chaos of humanitarian aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip. Obeid was trying to feed his family, like much of the population in the Strip, where food and water shortages are now killing as much as the war. Furthermore, the Israeli army fires on crowds waiting for aid almost every day: the one in Obeid is yet another example. The number of wounded among those seeking aid and food has risen to 11,800, according to Palestinian authorities, while the number of deaths"from hunger" has reached 193, including 96 children.
Humanitarian aid, it's worth remembering, arrives in dribs and drabs: according to public UN data and its system that tracks every aid truck entering Gaza using QR codes, between May 19 and early August, only about 10% reached their destination. The rest is diverted along the route into Gaza. Returning to the sporting context, with Obeid's death, the number of deaths among people belonging to the world of sport has risen to 662 since the beginning of the war. Meanwhile, 321 people have died, including footballers, coaches, managers, referees, and club board members. A tragedy within a tragedy.
Who was Suleiman Obeid, the"Palestinian Pelé"?
Obeid, who died at the age of 41, retired at the end of 2023 and made 21 official appearances for the national team, scoring two goals, between 2007 and 2013. His peak as a player coincided with a very difficult period for the country and the national team, but Obeid tried single-handedly to lead the team to greater success. He was nicknamed the"Palestinian Pelé" and was best known for his speed over long distances and his composure in front of goal. He won the Golden Boot of the Palestinian League for three consecutive seasons: in 2015/16 (17 goals), 2016/17 (15 goals), and 2017/18 (12 goals) with Gaza Al-Riyadi and then with Khadamat Al-Shate’, the team from his hometown. Despite relegation in 2021/22, Obeid did not abandon the club, ending his career there at the end of 2023.
Over the course of his career, the footballer scored over 100 goals, “becoming one of the brightest stars in Palestinian football,” according to the Palestine Football Association website. Obaid scored his first international goal for Palestine against Yemen during the 2010 West Asian Football Federation Championship. He subsequently represented the national team in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and then in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but failed to qualify. For many Palestinians, this death is not just a sporting one, but also a symbolic one: in a context of war, hunger, and suffering, Obeid represented hope through sport. Palestinian soccer star, he leaves behind a wife and five children (three boys and two girls).
