Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah took to X on Saturday, 9 August, with a viral response to European football association UEFA’s post paying tribute to iconic Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obaid, who was recently killed by Israeli forces while attempting to access aid in Gaza.
“Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” Salah wrote in response to UEFA’s tweet, which did not mention Israel, aid, or even specify in explicit terms the fact that al-Obaid was killed.
Salah has been criticised in the past with many arguing that he was not making sufficient use of his platform of 19.4 million followers on X and 65.8 followers on Instagram to speak about Israel’s relentless military onslaught on Gaza that began in October 2023.
While some responded to Salah’s post with reprimand for not having spoken sooner, many others — among them previous critics of Salah’s cautious approach — praised the footballer for speaking out, regardless of timing.
Salah is not the only high profile footballer to take al-Obaid’s death as an opportunity to shed light on Israeli aggression against Gaza, with others, such as France and Manchester United legend Eric Cantona, taking to social media to do the same.
Al-Obaid’s death is one of many reported deaths of Palestinians in Gaza attempting to access aid. According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly 500,000 people in Gaza were facing famine-level hunger (IPC Phase 5), with nearly the entire population experiencing severe food insecurity.
By the end of May, over 1,000 Palestinians had reportedly been killed while seeking food. Many of the deaths occurred at privately-run distribution points, which the United Nations has criticised for lacking adequate safety measures.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a relentless military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to health officials. UN experts have warned of famine conditions due to Israel’s continued blockade, and a growing number of countries have likened the situation to a potential genocide.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has also surged, with nearly 1,000 Palestinians killed since the conflict began, many in attacks by settlers or Israeli forces. Meanwhile, illegal Israeli settlement construction has expanded, in violation of international law.
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