12 Gaza football figures killed in war ‘were Hamas and Islamic Jihad members’
Israeli military rejects claims it targeted athletes, saying those killed held alleged roles in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The Israel Defence Forces has said 12 members of Gaza’s football community killed during the war were members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), disputing claims they were targeted because they were involved in the sport.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the military said intelligence assessments indicated the group included footballers, coaches, club officials and an international FIFA assistant referee who also belonged to the military wings of the two organisations.
The announcement follows reports and criticism accusing Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian footballers during the conflict.
The IDF said: “The IDF can now disclose these terrorists’ organisational affiliations and operational roles.
“In many cases, they were portrayed internationally only as players, with no mention of their affiliation with terrorist organisations.”
According to the military, some of those named took part in the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks, while others served in operational roles within Hamas or PIJ.
Among those identified was Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat, whom the IDF said was a PIJ operative who infiltrated Israel during the 7 October attacks. Israeli media, including The Jerusalem Post, have previously reported that Barakat was regarded as one of Gaza’s leading footballers and had reportedly represented the Palestinian national football team.
The IDF also alleged that Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, an international FIFA assistant referee, was a member of PIJ’s Central Camps Brigade.
Others named included football coach Mohammed Mansour, whom the military identified as deputy commander of Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion, and coach Ali al-Kurd, who it said served as a PIJ platoon commander in Rafah.
The remaining individuals identified by the IDF were Ahmed Abu al-Atta, Mahmoud Osama al-Jazzar, Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab, Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi, Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri and Mohammad Emad Hassouna, whom the military said held various roles with Hamas or PIJ.
The IDF said the cases formed part of what it described as “a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel” to portray those killed as solely civilians.
It added: “In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists struck and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activity was deliberately concealed in order to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions.”
The military said it would continue releasing information about similar cases “in order to present the full facts and refute claims that do not reflect reality.”
The IDF’s claims are based on Israeli intelligence assessments and have not been independently verified. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, FIFA and the Palestinian Football Association have not publicly responded to the allegations.