Palestinian footballer Mohammed Barakat was killed in an Israeli bombing of his home in Khan Younis during the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Barakat family’s home was hit by Israeli bombs early Monday, the first day of fasting in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Barakat, Gaza’s premier goal centurion and one of its top scorers, represented the national team, for whom he played three times, and Ahly Gaza football club in the local league.
The 39-year-old scored 114 goals and was known as “the legend of Khan Younis” during his long association with Khan Younis Youth Club, of which he was captain. The striker, who was also part of a generation of two-way soccer teams playing both beach and field soccer, played for several clubs in the occupied West Bank and Jordan, including Al-Wehdat, as well as for the Saudi club Al-Shoala.
Barakat continued to play when it counted, and his last goal was in a 1–1 draw against club Shujayea at Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City on August 18 during the second week of the Palestinian Premier League.
His death was called a “huge loss for Palestinian football” by Khalid Abu-Habel, a local club footballer.
“I played against him,” Khadamat al-Maghazi defender Abu-Habel told Tel Aviv Tribune hours after the legendary striker’s death was confirmed.
“He was fast and smart. A very good scorer. Off the field he was kind and friendly. A beloved friend to all.
Abu-Habel, who is also a doctor and works at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, said Gaza’s football community has “lost a lot” during the continuing war.
“How many more should we lose?” Gaza’s sporting community is simply falling apart.
During the first month of the war, which began on October 7, Khalil Jadallah, a Palestinian football commentator and analyst, assembled a starting lineup made up of Palestinian players who had died as a result of Israeli violence.
“It is difficult to know exactly how many people died in this war because of the sheer number of deaths,” Jadallah told Tel Aviv Tribune five months ago.
“I’m so angry. He is a football icon. Sports in Gaza lost a lot during the war.
Among the confirmed dead are athletes and administrators from a wide range of sports, including Al-Breij basketball player Bassim al-Nabahin, 27; footballer Rashid Dabbour, 28, who played for Al-Ahli Beit Hanoon; and Ahmad Awad, 21, who represented the Palestinian national football team against dwarfism.
The Palestinian sports community in the occupied West Bank has also been affected by the increased tensions. Markaz Balata midfielder Mohammed Maree Sawafta, 19, was killed by Palestinian Authority security forces during a protest in his hometown of Tubas, near Nablus, on October 27.
Perhaps the greatest loss was that of Hani Al-Masdar, one of the greatest Palestinian footballers and manager of the Olympic team, who was killed in January. Al-Masdar was hit by shrapnel from a missile that fell near his home in central Gaza.
“A constant feeling of anxiety”
When the Palestinian national team participated in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar in January and February, the players showed visible emotion as they recorded a historic victory against Hong Kong in the tournament groups and qualified for the second round.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune during the tournament, Palestinian striker Mahmoud Wadi spoke of his struggles to achieve his best performance on the pitch while war raged at home.
Wadi explained how players, especially those from Gaza, spent their days and nights anxiously waiting for news from home.
“One morning, my brother disappeared. No one in my family knew anything because of a communication breakdown. I felt very anxious during those 10 hours until I heard from him.
“This is our situation: a constant feeling of anxiety and unimaginable conditions. It’s indescribable not knowing where your loved ones are, feeling helpless and unable to do anything. All you can do is pray. Every second of our life is a test.
Abubaker Abed contributed reporting from Deir el-Balah, Gaza.
