Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Pelé of Palestinian football,” once dreamed of playing and scoring goals until the age of 50. But that dream was cut short a decade early when, according to his family, an Israeli tank shell struck him as he stood in line for food in southern Gaza last week.
His widow, Doaa Al-Obeid, now holds on tightly to one of the few mementos left of her late husband — the No. 10 jersey he wore while playing for Al-Shati Services Club in Gaza.
“This smells like Suleiman, the martyr… like my beloved, like the hero who went to get food for his kids and was killed,” she said tearfully. “This is the most precious thing I have left from him.”
Doaa and her five children have very little left. Their home was destroyed earlier this year in an airstrike, and they now live in a tent amid the rubble of Gaza City.
Nicknamed after the Brazilian legend Pelé due to his dazzling skills and goal-scoring prowess, Al-Obeid made headlines last week after Liverpool star Mohamed Salah publicly criticized the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) for its obituary post that omitted how and where Al-Obeid died.
UEFA had written on X (formerly Twitter): “Farewell to Suleiman Al-Obeid, the Pelé of Palestine. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest times.”
Salah reposted it, writing: “Can you tell us how, where, and why he died?”
According to the Palestinian Football Association, Al-Obeid was killed in an Israeli military strike while waiting at an aid distribution point in southern Gaza. His family says it was a tank shell that ended his life.
Al-Obeid had played for the Palestinian national team and was still active with his local club in Gaza when the war erupted between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.
The war began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns, killing over 1,200 people, prompting a massive Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Since then, more than 61,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, according to Palestinian sources, amid widespread destruction in the enclave of over 2 million people.
While most deaths are due to airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire, a growing number of people are dying from hunger.
“He Was Like a Gazelle”
Despite the destruction, Al-Obeid continued to play football throughout the war, his widow said.
“He never stopped training, not for a single day even during the height of the war, during the airstrikes, during the genocide. He would gather his friends and go play.”
His daughter Inas described his love for the game:
“It was passion… Do you know what passion is? He loved football so much. If someone invited him to play, he would jump at the chance. He’d come back at the end of the day smiling. We’d ask, ‘Did you score?’ and he’d say, ‘I scored goals, not just one.’ He made us happy.”
The Palestinian Football Association says hundreds of athletes and sports officials have been killed in Israeli attacks, and most sports infrastructure has been destroyed.
But many Palestinian football fans say they choose to focus not on how Al-Obeid died, but on what he stood for.
“Suleiman meant a lot to us in Al-Shati camp,” said Hassan Balawi, a barber in Gaza City.
“The kids used to call him Thierry Henry, and Pelé of Palestine. He was like a gazelle — do you know what a gazelle is? Watching him play was a joy. All of Palestine enjoyed him.”
