Palestinian footballer Ahmad Abu al-Atta and his family were killed in their home by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said.
Abu al-Atta, who played as a defender for the Gaza Strip team Al-Ahly Gaza, died along with his wife Ruba Esmael Abu al-Atta, a medical professional, and their two children after the airstrike that hit their home in Gaza City, the PFA said in a statement published on Saturday.
Local media reported that the airstrike took place on Friday, but the PFA did not give a date.
Last Monday, the PFA said international referee Hani Mesmeh had died after suffering injuries in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip in May.
More than 300 athletes, referees and sports officials have been killed since the start of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023 and all sports facilities in Gaza have been demolished, Palestinian Olympic Committee president Jibril Rajoub said this month.
They also included footballer Mohammed Barakat, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in March, and FIFA international assistant referee Mohammed Khattab, who was killed along with his wife and four children in an Israeli strike in the Deir neighborhood. Al in Gaza. Balah in February.
At least 37,598 Palestinians have been killed and another 86,032 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Sunday.
By Israel's count, more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in the October 7 cross-border attacks by Hamas that triggered military retaliation in Gaza.
In May, world football's governing body FIFA ordered an urgent legal assessment of a proposal by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), backed by the Asian Football Confederation, to suspend Israel from all domestic competitions. and clubs for the war in Gaza. FIFA said it would address the issue at an extraordinary meeting of its council in July.
