Suleiman al-Obeid

Suleiman al-Obeid was born in Gaza on March 24, 1984. A forward, he came up at Khadamat al-Shati, crossed to the West Bank’s Markaz Shabab al-Am’ari, where he helped win the Palestinian league title in 2010–11, and returned to Gaza to play for Gaza Sport and again al-Shati, finishing as the league’s top scorer in 2016 and 2017. The Palestine Football Association credits him with 24 international appearances — other databases list fewer — and two goals, the most celebrated a scissor kick against Yemen at the 2010 West Asian Championship; over his club career he scored more than a hundred goals. Fans called him the “Palestinian Pelé.”

On August 6, 2025, the PFA announced his death: “Former national team player Suleiman al-Obeid was martyred during an attack by occupation forces while waiting for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.” He was 41; The National reported the location as Rafah, and AP said it could not independently verify the account. He left his wife, Doaa, and five children. The PFA said his death brought to 662 the number of Palestinian athletes and sports officials killed since the war began; according to the UN human rights office, some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed seeking aid in Gaza since May, nearly all by Israeli fire.

UEFA posted a farewell to “the Palestinian Pelé” — “a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times” — and Mohamed Salah replied publicly: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” An IDF spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, answered Salah on X: “After an initial review, we found no records of any incidents involving Suleiman al-Obeid. In order to take a closer look, we need more details.” UEFA’s president Aleksander Čeferin later wrote to the PFA that al-Obeid was “more than just a footballer.”

Sources

• Salah questions UEFA’s ‘farewell’ to former Palestine soccer player Suleiman Obeid — AP
• ‘Palestinian Pele’ killed while awaiting humanitarian aid, soccer association says — ABC News
• Palestine’s ‘Pele’ Suleiman al-Obeid killed by Israel in Gaza — The New Arab
• Suleiman al-Obeid, le ‘Pelé palestinien’ tué par une attaque israélienne à Gaza — France 24