Liverpool forward and Egyptian superstar Mohammed Salah used his social media platform to bring attention to continued violence in Palestine by questioning the European football association’s (UEFA) tribute message to Suleiman al-Obeid, nicknamed Palestinian Pele, who passed away in an Israeli attack on Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera, 41-year-old Obeid was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked people waiting near an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Palestinian Football Association said. “Former national team player and star of the Khadamat al-Shati team, Suleiman Al-Obeid, was martyred after the [Israeli] occupation forces targeted those waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday,” the Palestinian Football Association said in a statement as per the report.
In response to UEFA’s social media post, Salah – in reference to the circumstances surrounding the death of the footballer – asked: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
Can you tell us how he died, where, and why? https://t.co/W7HCyVVtBE
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) August 9, 2025
The original post by UEFA read: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pelé’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”
At least 662 sportspeople and their relatives reported to have been killed, according to The Guardian. The PFA statement added that 421 footballers, including 103 children, have been killed or died from starvation, as well as 288 sports facilities across Gaza and the West Bank, so far have been damaged or reduced to rubble.
This is not the first time Salah has expressed his stance against the violence in Palestine. “It is not always easy to speak in a time like this. There has been too much violence and too much heartbreak and brutality,” Salah had posted on October 19, 2023, shortly after the deaths of nearly 500 people in an explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.
“The escalations in recent weeks is unbearable to witness. All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop, families are being torn apart. What is clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions. The scenes at the hospital were horrifying. The people of Gaza need food, water and medical supplies urgently. I am calling on world leaders to come together to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls – humanity must prevail.”
International condemnation grew Saturday over Israel’s decision for a military takeover of Gaza City, while little appeared to change immediately on the ground in the territory shattered by 22 months of war. Health officials said that 11 Palestinians seeking aid were shot dead, and 11 adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours as the new criticism of Israel came with pleas to allow far more food and other supplies to reach people in the besieged enclave.
(With AP inputs)
