Saleem Khader Al-Ashqar (Arabic: سليم خضر الأشقر; c. 1994–29 June 2026) was a Palestinian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various clubs in the Gaza Strip. He was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Al-Qarara in 2026.

Career

Al-Ashqar played as a goalkeeper from a young age and dreamed of representing the Palestine national football team.[1] He played club football in the Gaza Strip for Al Aqsa Club [ar], Shabab Khan Younis [ar], Al-Masdar Sports Club [ar], and finally, Khadamat Khan Younis [ar],[1] though his career was interrupted by the Gaza war.[2] Like many other sports clubs in Gaza, the club infrastructure of Khadamat Khan Younis was severely damaged by Israeli bombing.[1]

According to Palestine Now, Al-Ashqar was well known for his "high morals and distinguished presence on the field, where he was loved by his colleagues and everyone who knew him", as well as his "good character and humility".[3]

"When club managements would sit with us to negotiate his contract, Saleem would tell them, ‘I don’t need money; I need to be a player who represents my homeland, my people, and the State of Palestine," recalled his uncle, Palestinian Football Association (PFA) referees committee member Farid Al-Ashqar.[1]

Personal life

Al-Ashqar was the only male son in a family of six or seven sisters.[1][4] He married his wife on 29 January 2026 and was awaiting the birth of his first child at the time of his death.[1] According to Al Jazeera, Al-Ashqar lived "a life dedicated to football and family."[1]

Death and reaction

On 29 June 2026, Al-Ashqar was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.[a] He was riding his motorcycle[b] while attempting to obtain cooking gas[c] for his wife and unborn first child when he was met with gunfire from Israeli soldiers in tanks stationed nearby.[1][4][6] Al-Ashqar was struck in the abdomen and was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to stop his severe internal hemorrhaging due to a shortage of equipment, staff, blood, and electricity.[4][5] He died around two hours after arriving at the hospital.[5]

According to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Al-Ashqar was the 1,009th Palestinian sportsperson killed by Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war, as well as the 567th Palestinian killed from the football sector alone.[1] His uncle Farid Al-Ashqar, who helped raise him, accused FIFA and international federations of hypocrisy for failing to address Israel's continued attacks on civilian sportspeople in Gaza, saying, "Enough humiliation and enough exhaustion."[1]

Abdulghani al-Sheikh, the club president of Khadamat Khan Younis, said that news of the killing was a "shocking and harsh" blow to the team's players, coaches, and fans.[1] He added that Al-Ashqar was a "life force" and a "role model" for future generations while pledging to continue his legacy in Gaza by continuing to support football: "Our message today is not just about rebuilding the stone, but rebuilding the human. True loyalty to our martyrs is not just crying for them, but continuing to carry the message they believed in."[1]

Mustafa Siam, secretary-general of the Palestinian Sports Media Union stated that Palestinian athletes were "paying the price of war like all other civilians", and criticized governing bodies like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee for their "international silence", adding that they "have not taken practical steps to stop violations against the Palestinian sports community."[4]

The killing was "strongly condemned" by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in a statement released on 3 July, stating that it "underscores Israel’s targeted and indiscriminate killing of Palestinian sporting figures and civilians." Órlaith Roe, the Public Affairs and Communications officer of the ICJP, said: "As the world’s attention remains fixed on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States and FIFA celebrates football as a force for unity, inclusion, and respect, Palestinian footballers continue to be killed with impunity by Israel."[7][8]

Club Deportivo Palestino, a Chilean professional football club founded by Palestinian immigrants in the 1920s, published a tribute to Al-Ashqar. The club said it was "devastated that such events continue to happen" and that it "demand[ed] justice and peace."[5][9] The Communist Party of Swaziland condemned the killing as well as the "silence of the FIFA leadership".[10]

Some sources placed his killing in the context of the attention received by the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup; there were various displays of solidarity with the Palestinian cause shown by different groups of fans at the tournament.[11][12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Mansour, Mohammad (3 July 2026). "Gaza sports community pledges to continue legacy of killed goalkeeper". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Singh, Pragjyoti (2 July 2026). "Who Was Saleem Al-Ashqar? Palestinian Goalkeeper Dead at 32". Athlon Sports. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "الحارس الأشقر... 5 أشهر من الزواج وحلم الأبوة ينتهي برصاصة". Palestine Now (in Arabic). 1 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Abushamala, Rania (2 July 2026). "Gazan goalkeeper killed by Israel before seeing his 1st child". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Aboudari, Sofia (2 July 2026). "Israeli forces kill Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar in Gaza". The New Arab. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Goalkeeper of Khan Yunis Services Club killed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza". WAFA. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "ICJP condemns killing of Palestinian footballer by Israel". International Centre of Justice for Palestinians. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Hamed, Assiah (3 July 2026). "ICJP joins calls for FIFA action against Israel after killing of Gaza footballer". The New Arab. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Club Deportivo Palestino [@CDPalestinoSADP] (1 July 2026). "El Club Deportivo Palestino lamenta profundamente el sensible fallecimiento de Saleem Al-Ashqar, arquero palestino de 32 años que defendía los colores del Khadamat Khan Younis y que perdió la vida a manos del ejército israelí. Nos destroza que hechos como este sigan ocurriendo. Exigimos justicia y paz para #TodoUnPueblo 🇵🇸" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  10. ↑ "Murder of Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar condemned by Communist Party of Swaziland". The Left Chapter. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Israeli forces kill Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar in Gaza". TRT World. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Escandón, Pascual (2 July 2026). "Conmoción en el futbol: muere en tiroteo el arquero palestino Saleem Al-Ashqar; recién casado y esperando a su primer hijo". Vanguardia [es] (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2026.

Notes

  1. ↑ Anadolu Agency reported that he died from his wounds on 30 June.[4]
  2. ↑ One source reports he was riding a biclycle.[5]
  3. ↑ The severe shortages of cooking gas restrictions, caused by Israeli restrictions to supplies entering Gaza, force many locals to travel long distances in search of the material.[4]
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saleem_Al-Ashqar