At a time when bread is more expensive than cups, Suleiman Al-Obaid, one of the most prominent football players in Palestinian history and the Palestinian national team’s all-time leading scorer, left his tent in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, not in search of a new goal in the opponents’ net, but for a piece of bread to feed his children.
His steps led him to the aid center known as “Al-Tina,” where hundreds of civilians gather under the threat of Israel’s bullets and shelling, hoping to get a little flour or bread. As he tried to take cover behind an earthen mound from sniper fire, an Israeli Quadcopter drone dropped a small bomb that killed him.
Suleiman Al-Obaid, known as “the brown gazelle” and “Pelé of Palestine,” was not just a talented player, but a popular legend whose goals brought smiles to the faces of Palestinians. Throughout his career, he played for the national team for many years and was the top scorer with his magical touches, achieving statistics that made him one of the pillars of Palestinian football.
But this time, he did not fall on the grass of the stadium after scoring a decisive goal, but on the soil of his city, whose name he defended in sporting events. The fans who once carried him on their shoulders in moments of victory carried him today, wrapped in a shroud, to his final resting place, while his children’s eyes followed the funeral, waiting for a return that would never happen.
The shock of death
On the morning of 6 August 2025, they left the displacement tent that had sheltered them after their displacement, and the family headed to the aid center. Next to the tent, his wife and five children sat, still reeling from the shock of departure and loss of support. At the door of the tent, a commemorative photo of Suleiman al-Obeid smiles at visitors, as if his presence is still among them despite his absence.
His wife sits in silence, her heart heavy with the pain of a woman who has lost the man who was her support and her dream. Next to them is the voice of their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Asia, searching for the embrace of a father she can only find in his smile in the photograph.
All the child knows is that her father is there in her hands in the frame of the photo, the only presence that connects her to the safety of childhood, while her mother’s pain gnaws at her heart with every glance at her little girl.
From the playgrounds of Palestine to the tragedy of famine
Suleiman Al-Obaid was not just a family man; he was a symbol of Palestinian sportsmanship, resistance, and determination.
On the playing field, he rose from the Beach Services Club to the Al-Amari Club, winning professional league championships with both, before donning the national team jersey and playing 24 international matches, scoring over 100 memorable goals and becoming one of the legends of Palestinian football. Behind the smile and achievements was a loving father and devoted husband, striving to provide for his children amid the war and famine that ravaged the Gaza Strip.
While scoring goals on the field, his eyes were always looking toward his future and that of his children. He did not allow war and famine to dampen his passion for football. He would gather his friends or go with his son Naseem to play, maintaining his connection to the game he loved, despite the destruction of the stadiums and the suspension of sporting activities.
In the last days of his life, his passion became a means of survival, as he went to the aid center to bring food to his children, with the fate of sports standing side by side with the tragedy of daily life in Gaza.
Global response to the tragic loss of Suleiman Al-Obaid
Suleiman Al-Abed’s death did not go unnoticed on the international stage.
The Union of European Football Associations described his talent as bringing hope to children even in the darkest of circumstances, while Mohamed Salah reposted the news of his death, asking: “How did he die, where, and why?” – because corporate media headlines refused to name Israel as his killer.
Mohamed Abu Treika sent a message to FIFA, recalling the 762 Palestinian athletes who had been killed and the destruction of 267 sports facilities, and calling for action against the Zionist occupation.
The United Nations called for the expulsion of Israeli teams from competitions, stressing that sport must remain free of apartheid, so that the name of Suleiman Al-Obaid remains a testament to the convergence of passion for sport with human suffering, and a symbol of the hope that a single dream can generate even in the most difficult circumstances.
Suleiman Al-Obaid is gone, but his football legacy will remain a testament to the fact that heroes may leave the playing field, but they never leave the memory of the people who loved them.
Featured image via the Canary
