Suleiman Ahmed Zaid Obeid was 41 years old; he was born in the Al Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and was a very famous soccer player in Palestine; he played 19 times for the national team between 2007 and 2013..
He lived in the Gaza City with his family—his wife Doaa and their five children, three girls and two boys. Their home was destroyed by Israel’s massive bombardment, and they took refuge in a tent. Even during the genocide, he continued to train every day.
From 2007 to 2009, he played for the Khadamat Al Shatea team as a forward or winger; he was nicknamed “the gazelle” or “the Palestinian Pelé.” From 2009 to 2013, he was transferred to Markaz Shabab Al Amari, based in Al-Rams northeast of Jerusalem, in the West Bank Premier League.
From 2014 to 2016, he played for the Gaza Sport Club, and from 2017 to 2023, he returned to Khadamat Al Shatea, where he was the league’s top scorer in the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 seasons while wearing the No. 10 jersey. He was a talented player who gave hope to many children, even in difficult times.
Israel’s total siege, in place since March 2025, caused a famine in Gaza. Israel established the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in May to militarize aid distribution with the IOF and armed contractors from the U.S. at just four distribution points: GHF1, GHF2, and GHF3 in the Morag corridor (south) and GHF1 in the Netzarin corridor (north). Soleiman went to get food in August 2025 at the GHF3 distribution point—the only one operational—near Khan Younis.
Israel used the distribution of aid as a trap; thousands of starving Palestinians flocked to the GHF distribution points, which were guarded by IOF detachments and GHF “security” forces, who fired on the unarmed crowd, causing daily massacres. Soleiman was killed on August 6, 2025, by shrapnel from an Israeli tank missile at the GHF3 distribution point.
Drawings by Dolores Collado
Full story to print: 073_Suleiman_english.pdf
Additional information about the GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation):
Starting on May 7, 2025, GHF1, GHF2, GH3, and GHF4 replaced some 400 UNRWA aid distribution points in Gaza—most of which Israel had shut down—and remained operational from late May through early October 2025. The plan was to use them to displace the entire population southward toward Egypt in order to concentrate and expel them. Not all of them were operational at the same time—only one or two were—and they distributed just 105 of the amount needed to feed the population. They were open for only a very short time and without prior notice; in fact, GH4 was barely operational. There was no water distribution, and the population had to travel many kilometers to obtain aid, risking death or injury.
On July 31, UN Human Rights reported 1,373 people killed while seeking aid, 850 of them near GHF distribution points. On July 5, 2025, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported 743 killed and 4,891 wounded, 70% of whom were at GHF distribution points—starving men, women, and children.
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