Will and persistence: The destruction of sports infrastructure in Gaza won’t stop sports
Palestinian girls take part in a sports competition in Gaza
Issam Khalidi writes in The Palestine Chronicle on 24 June 2024:
There is a widespread perception that Israel’s genocide is being used in conjunction with various other goals for the sake of achieving them simultaneously. There is a very clear determination among Israeli authorities to destroy everything related to the Palestinian people, including the culture, history, and identity of the Palestinian people.
Sport is an integral part of Palestinian culture and history. It has always been Israel’s nightmare and a thorn in its side as long as it bears the symbol of the Palestinian people, flag and name. Israel aims to destroy the legacy of sports built over a century.
Prior to October 7, Israel’s apartheid policy barred Gazan athletes from participating in sports or representing Palestine with their brothers and sisters in the West Bank. In addition, Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Sector over the past two decades has left hundreds of athletes disabled. There’s no room in this article for all the martyrs and Israel’s crimes against Palestinian sports.
It has been reported that more than 300 athletes have been killed and 50 sports facilities have been destroyed. As an example, Freej Al-Hallaq, a veteran athlete suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, was executed in cold blood by Israeli forces in front of Al-Shifa Hospital, leaving him bleeding for a long time after execution.
As a result of the bombing of her house in the Nuseirat camp in the West Bank, Nagham Abu Samra, a Palestinian karate champion and a member of the Palestinian national team, died after suffering shrapnel wounds and being in a coma.
The long-distance runner Majed Abu Marahel, the first Palestinian to compete at the Olympics in 1996, passed away recently in Gaza as a result of Israel’s inhumane blockade and destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.
Israel turned Gaza Strip stadiums into prisons, torture centers, and execution sites. This happened at Gaza’s Yarmouk Stadium where dozens of civilians were forced to take off their clothes in the open.