The killing of four Palestinian sisters in their displacement in southern Gaza by Israeli occupation forces sparked widespread condemnation and outrage on the social media. Activists, journalists, and researchers cited their story as a new example of the targeting of civilians, demanding that the Israeli occupation be held accountable and end to what they described as its ongoing crimes against the Palestinians.
Journalist Abdullah Jamal stated that the four sisters —Taqwa, Yaqin, Ihsan, and Iman—were high-achieving university students from Rafah. They were killed while fleeing in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
In a post on the “X” platform, he added that the sisters were the daughters of the martyred commander Muhammad Mahmoud Shabana (Abu Anas), the commander of the Rafah Brigade. He emphasized that their killing represents yet another crime added to the long list of attacks targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip.
In the same vein, researcher Muhanna al-Habil pointed out that the four sisters had graduated with medical degrees and were eager to contribute to treating war wounded and saving the injured in the Gaza Strip. However, they were killed during their displacement before they could begin their humanitarian mission.
He added, in a post on the “X” platform, that their martyrdom embodies the magnitude of the loss suffered by Palestinian society, criticizing what he described as the international community’s inaction and preoccupation with other matters while the humanitarian tragedy in the Strip worsens.
For his part, journalist Mustafa Ashour expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing that the scenes of children and young women being killed in Gaza evoke a sense of shame at the world’s inability to protect them.
He wrote on the “X” platform that remaining silent about these crimes or justifying them represents a moral collapse, calling for consideration of the humanitarian dimension of the tragedy and asking: How would any father or mother feel if the victims were members of their own family?
Goalkeeper of Khan Yunis Services Club, Saleem Khader Al-Ashqar, 32, was killed on Monday after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip as reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Al-Ashqar also played for Al-Aqsa and Al-Musaddar Sport Clubs during his football career in the Gaza Strip. Local sources said Al-Ashqar had been married for only five months and was awaiting the birth of his first child. He was also the only son among seven siblings.
With the killing of Al-Ashqar, the number of members of the Palestinian sports movement killed since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023 has risen to 1,009, including 567 from the Palestinian football community.
“We deeply mourn the tragic death of 32-year-old Palestinian goalkeeper Salim Al-Ashqar. He was killed by the Israeli army. We are deeply saddened by the continuation of such events. We call for justice and peace,” Chilean football club Deportivo Palestino said Wednesday as quoted by Anadolu.
Palestinian journalist Mohammed Al-Helou, who was injured while working in the field in the Gaza Strip, along with the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation, filed a criminal complaint against a dual Belgian-Israeli citizen, accusing him of serving as a sniper in the Israeli army.
The Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported that Al-Helou, 24, currently residing as a refugee in the Netherlands, and the Hind Rajab Foundation submitted a request last week to a Brussels court to open an investigation into a person identified only by his initials (A.B.), believed to be residing in the Belgian capital, as well as others whose identities have not yet been revealed.
According to the complaint, A.B. served in the Refaim sniper unit of an Israeli army battalion and is suspected of involvement in serious violations of international humanitarian law.
While working as a journalist in Gaza, Al-Helou was shot by a sniper while covering events near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis between November 2023 and February 2024, despite wearing protective gear clearly marked “PRESS” to indicate his press credentials.
Al-Helou survived the attack after the bullet struck his protective vest, while his 14-year-old brother was killed during Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Al-Helou and his lawyer, Ian Vermon, from the Hind Rajab Foundation, submitted the complaint along with photos and videos, as well as medical reports and witness testimonies confirming the facts.
The Hind Rajab Foundation works to document and prosecute Israeli military personnel suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The foundation is named after Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl who was killed along with six members of her family in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their car southwest of Gaza City on January 29, 2024.
Established in Brussels in February 2024, the foundation focuses on pursuing legal action against Israeli officials and military personnel in national and international courts. Quds Press
Despite the heavy burden of war, displacement, loss, and deprivation they have endured for nearly three years, many Gazans, especially the youth, have not relinquished their passion for football and following the World Cup matches. They have become a temporary escape from the harsh reality of war.
With the start of the Arab teams’ matches in the world’s most important football tournament, displacement camps in the Gaza Strip have been transformed into something resembling “popular caravans” or open-air cafes, where hundreds of displaced people gather in front of large screens or televisions to watch the matches and cheer on their favorite teams.
In the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, hundreds of Gazans gathered in the main square of the Nuseirat market in front of a giant screen to watch the match between the Egyptian national team and their Belgian counterparts, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Cheers and popular songs filled the air during the match, a scene that brought a measure of vitality back to faces worn down by war.
In the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, some of the tents housing displaced people have been transformed into makeshift cafes. Young men sit on wooden benches in front of televisions to watch matches of the Arab teams participating in the tournament. Some tents are decorated with Egyptian flags, and several young men drape the flags over their shoulders while watching the games.
During major sporting events, Gazans typically make a point of showing their support for the Arab teams, expressing the cultural and social ties that bind them to the Arab world and emphasizing their shared sense of solidarity and belonging.
For many residents of the Gaza Strip, these gatherings represent a rare opportunity for recreation and a break from the pressures of daily life. They also offer a temporary space for joy and engagement with a global event, away from the constant bombardment, displacement, and suffering.
However, watching the World Cup in Gaza is not as easy as it is in other parts of the world. In addition to the dire humanitarian situation and economic collapse, residents face financial, technological, and security challenges that make watching the matches a difficult task.
High Subscription Costs
The high subscription cost of beIN SPORTS channels, the exclusive broadcaster of the tournament, stands out as one of the most significant obstacles, in addition to the large time difference, as most matches are held in the early morning hours due to the United States, Canada, and Mexico co-hosting the tournament.
In an attempt to alleviate this crisis, the sports channels’ agent in Gaza managed to obtain a special exemption from the network’s headquarters in Qatar, allowing the reactivation of older equipment within the Gaza Strip, taking into account the exceptional circumstances faced by the residents. This exemption was granted for monthly subscriptions ranging between 350 and 420 shekels (US$120-150), providing some cafes and fans with a limited opportunity to watch the matches.
Alternatives, but Not Enough
Other alternatives are no more readily available. Free Turkish or Iranian channels may broadcast some matches, but they lack the Arabic commentary that has become a cherished part of the Arab public’s experience with major tournaments.
On the other hand, IPTV services rely on a stable internet connection, which has become virtually impossible given the extensive damage inflicted on the telecommunications infrastructure during the war.
Security Concerns Over Renewed Israeli Bombing
The suffering of Gazans is not limited to material and technical aspects; it also extends to security concerns. Gathering in cafes or public squares to watch matches has become fraught with danger due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment, prompting many to avoid going out at night. Despite this, some cafes continue to broadcast matches at night, even with the possibility of renewed Israeli attacks.
Despite all these challenges, football remains a rare outlet for many Gazans and a way to cling to life, a temporary attempt to postpone the pain of war and engage, even for a few hours, in a collective joy that restores some semblance of normalcy.
Since October 8, 2013, Israel, with American and European support, has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and arrests, ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to cease its actions.
The genocide has left more than 246,000 Palestinians dead and/or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced people and with a famine that claimed the lives of many, most of them children, as well as widespread destruction and the erasure of most of the cities and areas of the Gaza Strip from the map. Quds Press
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to treat scores of patients suffering from life-changing injuries, chronic pain, and psychological trauma sustained while attempting to access food assistance from US-backed, so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites. This militarized food distribution scheme launched one year ago but only ran for six months before being forced to stop after significant controversy and criticism.
The GHF, which replaced a 400-site UN-coordinated aid distribution system, was run by Israel with financial support from the United States and other allies. GHF sites became operational on May 26, 2025, and were “secured” by private American armed contractors, with Israeli forces maintaining control over the wider perimeter.
US-backed aid distribution points are sites of orchestrated killing
Violence occurring at and related to GHF’s four distribution points led to deaths and injuries for thousands of people who were desperately seeking food during Israel’s months-long total blockade.
The legacy of the GHF is widespread violence against hungry people
“As MSF has documented with medical evidence, people who were seeking food in desperate and siege-like conditions suffered horrendous levels of targeted and indiscriminate violence,” said Joan Tubau, MSF head of mission for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Children were shot in the chest while reaching for food, people were crushed or suffocated in stampedes, and entire crowds were gunned down at distribution points. Today, many GHF-related patients are entirely dependent on charity and community kitchens due to their mobility issues and lack of ability to work and provide for their families.”
People who were seeking food in desperate and siege-like conditions suffered horrendous levels of targeted and indiscriminate violence.Joan Tubau, MSF head of mission for the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Between June and October 2025, MSF teams recorded at least 32 deaths and treated 1,885 patients for injuries linked to the GHF sites at MSF’s Al-Attar and Al-Mawasi primary health care centers in Khan Younis.
Neama Awad
“Even if it meant death, I had to go bring food”
I am from Miraj, originally from Rafah. Everything was destroyed. The occupation came near us. They were shooting at our children and here too we are displaced. I only wish to return home. Honestly, my situation is very bad. I am sick, and my husband is sick.
I went looking for a loaf of bread. I went walking as I don’t even have one shekel for transportation. One day people came and said, ‘Go to the aid point in Al-Tina to get food.’ I said I would go. I wanted to bring food for my children. There was no food, nothing. We became skin and bones. I went to the aid distribution because we had no support at home — no flour, no food, no aid reaching us, not even a loaf of bread.
“My friend was executed in front of my eyes,” said Karim, a former barber who suffered life-changing injuries permanently damaging a nerve in his leg. “It still haunts me. Both of us were caught and handcuffed [by Israeli soldiers] behind our backs. A drone hovered above me, and four men were asked to take me away.”
Mustafa, a taxi driver from Rafah, developed a heel infection that caused rotting after a gunshot wound broke two of his bones as he was trying to access food. His 17-year-old nephew was shot in the head and killed by a sniper.
“[It] was so humiliating,” Mustapha said. “Thousands of people would run towards [the food], then the IDF would shoot on us from fixed points. Two thirds of the injured people in Gaza I know were cases from GHF.”
Saad Hussein, MSF patient
“Hunger: That is what made us go”
I am from southern Rafah. Neither our grandfather nor the many displaced people before us lived through this. So many homes were destroyed. Everyone was displaced. We were living in the Iqlimi area, but with the famine and everything that was happening, we were forced to leave. We have children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. We had to take whatever we could because nothing was available. We were forced to go to the American aid distribution points.
We had no clean food, no clean clothes, no clean bathrooms. Nothing was clean. We did not eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We would bring lentils from the community kitchen and survive on them until the next day. My mother, my brothers, my brother’s six orphaned children, my brother’s wife, me, my mother, and my father. God is with us and with them.
The GHF also played a key role in the malnutrition crisis manufactured by Israel. The drastic reduction of food and aid distribution points compounded by the total siege, intensified violence, mass displacement, and destruction of health facilities had a direct role in the famine declared in mid-2025, with devastating consequences on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, newborns, and children.
“Nothing about GHF was a humanitarian solution,” Tubau said. “One year on, the magnitude of the harm inflicted on people at GHF distribution points without any accountability requires an independent investigation. Israel has an obligation to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and condemns aid models, including the GHF, that fail to alleviate suffering.”
My friend was executed in front of my eyes. It still haunts me. Both of us were caught and handcuffed [by Israeli soldiers] behind our backs.Karim, MSF patient
This militarized system of aid delivery resulted in significant harm and suffering and should never be replicated. Israel, the US, and all actors of influence to ensure that aid is non-militarized, accessible, and built on independence, impartiality, neutrality, and humanity. Civilians must be able to safely reach humanitarian assistance — based on vulnerability and need — wherever they choose to reside, and at scale.
*Names of patients have been changed for their safety.
CrossFireArabia
