Israeli army kills Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Abdel-Malek in Gaza

The Palestinian Football Association says Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malek, a 20-year-old goalkeeper and captain of Gaza Sports Club, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood on Tuesday. His death highlights the toll of the war on Palestinian sport and the loss of a player who had competed in a tournament final just five days earlier.

The PFA counts Abdel-Malek as the 1,017th person involved in sport killed in Gaza since October 2023. More than 200 clubs took part in the Thousand Martyrs Cup, which ran across Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Palestinian sports officials say attacks have destroyed more than 50 of Gaza’s 56 sports clubs; the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports at least 74,645 Palestinians killed and 175,978 injured since 7 October 2023.