Israeli army kills Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Abdel-Malek in Gaza

Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malek has been killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has confirmed. The PFA said Abdel-Malek, the captain and goalkeeper of Gaza Sports Club, was targeted in Tuesday’s attack on Gaza City’s southern Sabra neighbourhood.

The 20-year-old was the 1,017th person involved in sport to be killed in Gaza in Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave, according to figures provided by the PFA. “Club legend and goalkeeper of the first team Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malik was martyred moments ago,” the club wrote in a social media post announcing his death.

More than 200 clubs competed, including 146 from the occupied West Bank, 44 from Gaza, and 36 from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Abdel-Malek’s death comes days after Israeli forces killed 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Barbak on Friday, shooting him while he was playing football with his friends in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.