Since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel’s aggression has extended far beyond homes and hospitals. In what observers describe as a deliberate erasure of Palestinian identity, the occupation has launched a systematic assault on the Strip’s sports infrastructure, killing athletes, flattening stadiums, and burying generations of dreams beneath concrete and ash.

According to the Palestinian Sports Media Federation, more than 590 athletes have been killed so far, including over 280 football players. Sports in Gaza, once a lifeline for thousands of young people, has been entirely paralysed. Eighty percent of the territory’s sports infrastructure has been destroyed, including the headquarters of the Olympic Committee, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, and countless local clubs.

"From Beit Hanoun to Khan Younis, every major stadium has been reduced to rubble or turned into shelters for the displaced," said Mustafa Syam, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Sports Media Federation. “Even the Olympic Committee headquarters, protected under international law, was bombed. They wanted to kill not just the body, but the spirit of Palestinian youth.”

While the Palestinian Football Association has appealed to FIFA to suspend Israel’s membership, citing clear breaches of human rights and international sports protocols, the request has been delayed and buried in committees. In stark contrast, Russia was swiftly suspended in the early days of the Ukraine war, highlighting what many see as a glaring double standard in global sports governance.

Basketball, volleyball, handball, no sport has been spared. Clubs like Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi have been targeted and dismantled. Young athletes who once dreamed of playing for Palestine now find themselves displaced, some fleeing to neighbouring countries in search of safety and opportunity.

Yet amid the ruins, Palestinians remain defiant. Gaza’s sports fields may lie in silence now, but the will to play, to live, and to dream remains unbroken. One day, the ball will roll again.