Israeli air strike kills Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Abdel-Malek
Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Abdel-Malek, the captain and goalkeeper of Gaza Sports Club, has been killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has confirmed. He was 20. The attack hit the southern Sabra neighbourhood on Tuesday.
According to the PFA, he was the 1,017th person involved in Palestinian sport to be killed since the war began in October 2023. The association’s tally covers athletes, coaches and sports officials across the territory.
Abdel-Malek’s death came five days after he played in the final of the Gaza and Northern Gaza division of the Thousand Martyrs Cup, held on November 5. His club finished as runners-up in the tournament, which is named after the more than 1,000 sports figures killed in the Strip.
Announcing his death, Gaza Sports Club paid tribute to a player it called a club legend.
“Club legend and goalkeeper of the first team Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malik was martyred moments ago.”
The Thousand Martyrs Cup marked a return to organised football after the war and the destruction of sporting facilities forced a long suspension. It began on September 4 and drew more than 200 clubs, including 146 from the occupied West Bank, 44 from Gaza and 36 from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
PFA president Jibril Rajoub said the event showed Palestinians had not lost their national will. He added that belief in sport as a symbol of hope and life remained intact.
The killing came days after Israeli forces shot dead 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Barbak, a player at Al-Najma Sports Academy, while he was playing football with friends in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. The PFA announced his death on Saturday.
Tuesday’s strike also came amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, according to Anadolu. The two deaths have sharpened criticism of FIFA’s inaction towards Israel.
In March, the PFA called for the Israeli Football Association to be banned after a FIFA disciplinary report found it had failed to act against Beitar Jerusalem over persistent racist behaviour. Rajoub said the PFA would keep pushing for expulsion from all international bodies.
Palestinian sports officials say Israeli attacks have destroyed stadiums, clubs, halls and academies in Gaza. Mustafa Siam, secretary-general of the Palestinian Sports Media Federation, said the losses have left Palestinian sport in an existential crisis, with more than 50 of Gaza’s 56 clubs destroyed.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least 74,645 Palestinians have been killed and 175,978 injured since October 7, 2023.