Palestinian goalkeeper killed by Israel in Gaza as Fifa faces fresh calls to act

Palestinian goalkeeper killed by Israel in Gaza as Fifa faces fresh calls to act Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 17:31 Tributes poured in after the Palestinian Football Association said Saleem al-Ashqar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem al-Ashqar (Facebook/@kadmatkh) Off Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem al-Ashqar was killed earlier this week by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement on Monday, prompting tributes from football supporters, journalists, fans, and the public on social media. The PFA said the 32-year-old was killed by Israeli army fire. With Ashqar's death, the association said the number of Palestinian sports figures killed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 1,009, including 567 members of the Palestinian football community. It added that Ashqar had married just five months ago and was expecting his first child with his wife. A relative of Ashqar told Wafa that the goalkeeper was returning home from work when Israeli forces opened fire on unarmed civilians northeast of Hamad City, striking him in the chest. The relative described him as "one of the finest young men" in the community. Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar was shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza. Married just five months ago, he leaves behind a wife expecting their first child. The Palestinian Football Association says more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes have been killed since October 2023. pic.twitter.com/Yz6cyblRf3 — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 1, 2026 News of his death quickly spread online, prompting many to question Fifa's continued refusal to suspend Israel. Tributes pour in Chilean football club Deportivo Palestino was among the first to pay tribute to Ashqar. In a post on X, the club said it "deeply regretted" the death of the 32-year-old goalkeeper, adding that it was "heartbreaking" that such incidents continued to occur while calling for "justice and peace". El Club Deportivo Palestino lamenta profundamente el sensible fallecimiento de Saleem Al-Ashqar, arquero palestino de 32 años que defendía los colores del Khadamat Khan Younis y que perdió la vida a manos del ejército israelí. Nos destroza que hechos como este sigan ocurriendo.… pic.twitter.com/r6pM5hiIKg — Club Deportivo Palestino (@CDPalestinoSADP) July 1, 2026 Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak also paid tribute to Ashqar in a post on X, offering his condolences and describing the goalkeeper as having been killed by "murderous Israeli forces". Bak contrasted the 572 footballers competing in the Fifa Club World Cup to the 567 Palestinian footballers killed since October 2023, adding: "Sometimes numbers tell a great deal. This is one of them." Katil israil güçlerinin açtığı ateş sonucu şehit edilen Filistinli kaleci Salim Al-Ashqar’a Allah’tan rahmet diliyorum. An itibarıyla Dünya Kupası’nda mücadele eden futbolcu sayısı yaklaşık 572. Şehit olan Filistinli futbolcuların sayısı ise 567! Rakamlar bazen çok şey… pic.twitter.com/J6v2H2zoeO — Dr. Osman Aşkın Bak (@OA_BAK) July 2, 2026 Fifa faces renewed criticism Ashqar's death also reignited criticism of football's governing bodies, with many questioning Fifa's continued refusal to suspend Israel, particularly amid the ongoing World Cup matches. Spanish-Moroccan sports journalist Leyla Hamed wrote on X that Fifa has suspended football federations "almost every week" but had repeatedly delayed a decision on Israel despite meeting several times to discuss the issue. "How much investigation does the most documented genocide in history need?" she asked. FIFA suspends/sanctions federations almost every week. They met over four times to discuss banning Israel and kept delaying it for “investigations.” How much investigation does the most documented genocide in history need? https://t.co/BsqUrzwxL5 — Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) July 2, 2026 Former Irish MEP Mick Wallace also criticised Fifa in a post on X, saying the organisation had become "so rotten" that it served "the interests of Western imperialism and the brutal Zionist settler colonial project". He called on influential voices in football to speak out and argued that the sport needed "a new governing body". We now have a @FIFAcom so rotten that it serves the interests of Western Imperialism and the brutal Zionist Settler Colonial Project. We need a new Governing Body for football - it's long past time for influential football voices to speak up to save our game from these Cretins... https://t.co/JHwUciHKTk — Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) July 2, 2026 Journalist Hassan Mafi linked Ashqar's death to Palestinian football more broadly, writing on X: "The reason Palestine doesn't qualify for the World Cup is because Zionists have killed all of their players." The reason Palestine doesn't qualify for World Cup is because Zionists have killed all of their players. https://t.co/p3OJtOTM45 — Hassan Mafi ‏ (@thatdayin1992) July 2, 2026 Writer Jakob Reimann also questioned Fifa's inaction, noting that Ashqar had been killed while his wife was expecting their first child. Am Montag haben 🇮🇱 Truppen den 🇵🇸 Fußballtorhüter Saleem Al-Ashqar mit einem Panzer getötet. Sejne Frau erwartet ihr erstes Kind. Seit dem 7. Oktober 2023 hat #Israel 1.009 palästinensische Sportler getötet – darunter 567 Fußballer. Wann handelt die @FIFAcom ? pic.twitter.com/eOWPvib8RK — Jakob Reimann (@Jakob_Reimann) July 1, 2026 A person on social media questioned Fifa's stance, writing : "So FIFA can bar Russia from the tournament but somehow let such heinous acts pass by", while arguing that Israel had still not been suspended from international football. كاريكاتير فلسطين أون لاين| بريشة د. علاء اللقطة pic.twitter.com/2YsM9xy41p — فلسطين أون لايـن (@F24online) July 2, 2026 Spanish journalist Fonsi Loaiza highlighted the timing of Ashqar's death, describing him as a professional First Division goalkeeper in Palestine who was killed while the World Cup was taking place. Se llamaba Saleem Al-Ashqar y era portero profesional de Primera División en Palestina. Hoy ha sido asesinado por los genocidas de Israel, mientras se disputa el Mundial de fútbol de la vergüenza organizado por Estados Unidos del criminal ultraderechista de Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/BXsdW76iQ3 — Fonsi Loaiza (@FonsiLoaiza) July 2, 2026 World Cup 2026 Trending Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0