Palestinian Football Association

Ramallah, Dec 11 (PL) At least 546 members of the Palestinian sports movement were killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression that began 14 months ago, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) denounced today.

The agency said in a statement that of that number, 353 are athletes, coaches, and members of the world of football, including 91 minors.

The PFA said that this week two brothers who played the sport were killed after Israeli aircraft bombed their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the center of the coastal enclave.

Muhammad Khalifa was a player of Hilal Gaza Club and Mahmoud was a member of Al-Ahly Al-Nuseirat Club, it said.

The institution also condemned the systematic attacks on the sector's infrastructure, including stadiums, fields, and sports centers.

The president of the Palestinian Olympic Committee and also head of the PFA, Jibril Rajoub, has repeatedly urged world sports authorities to sanction Israel.

In July, both institutions demanded the exclusion of that country from the Paris 2024 Games due to the crimes committed in the occupied territories.

They sent letters to Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee, and Gianni Infantino of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Allowing teams from that nation to participate in international soccer tournaments under these circumstances would undermine FIFA's basic objectives and the principles of human rights and non-discrimination, the letter stated.

The letter pointed out that Palestinian athletes, especially in Gaza, are deprived of protection and suffer due to the ongoing conflict.