Rabat – Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has accused UEFA of ignoring the truth about the death of Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid, after the European governing body posted a tribute that failed to mention he was killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The 41-year-old, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” was shot dead on Wednesday when the IOF opened fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
Obeid, born in Gaza, was married and the father of five. He captained the Palestinian national team and played 24 international matches, becoming a source of pride for a people under siege.
UEFA’s post on X read: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.” The message offered no mention of the IOF attack or the fact that he was targeted while unarmed.
Salah responded sharply: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
The PFA reports that since the start of Israel’s genocide on Gaza, 662 people from the sport and scouting sector have been killed, including 321 linked to football.
In the first weeks of the genocide, Salah urged world leaders to act to open humanitarian corridors into Gaza and “prevent further slaughter of innocent souls.”
Recently, Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza City as part of their ongoing genocidal campaign.
In a statement early Friday, Netanyahu’s office said the army would move to seize the city while claiming it would provide humanitarian aid to civilians forced outside combat areas.
For Palestinians, the plan means more massacres, more rubble, more graves. Hunger has already claimed nearly 200 lives as Israel seals Gaza’s borders and turns starvation into a weapon of war.
Over 61,000 Palestinians are dead, entire families wiped from existence, and no one knows for sure how many remain trapped in Gaza amid a relentless and unchecked genocide that keeps raging on.
