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EXCLUSIVE: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Pak Gazette Digital that soccer players representing the Palestinian Authority they targeted with military strikes were also allegedly working as terrorists for Hamas and jihadist groups.
“In recent weeks, false claims have circulated alleging that the IDF deliberately targeted innocent Palestinian soccer players during the war,” the IDF said in a statement to Pak Gazette Digital.
“In light of these claims, the IDF is now revealing the identities of Palestinian football players, referees and coaches who were presented as athletes and innocent civilians, but who in reality served as terrorists in the military wings of the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, and were targeted and eliminated by the IDF during the war.
IDF Claims to Have Eliminated Hamas Commander Who Participated in October 7
A fan displays a Palestinian flag amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas at the Israel-France soccer match on November 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)
“Following an intelligence assessment, the IDF can now reveal the organizational affiliations and operational roles of these terrorists. In many cases, they were portrayed internationally only as actors, without mentioning their affiliation with terrorist organizations.”
The IDF identified the players as Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat, Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi, Mohammed Mansour, Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta, Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab, Ali Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Kurd, Mohammad Emad Ata Hussouna, Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, Mahmoud Osama Al-Jazzar and Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri.
According to the IDF, three of the players were allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre, and others allegedly served in other terrorist operations and leadership roles.
“The false campaign portraying the IDF as deliberately targeting members of the football community, which was created as part of a broader effort promoted by various actors against the State of Israel, accompanies other false narratives promoted throughout the war,” the IDF added.
“In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists targeted and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activities was deliberately concealed to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions.”
Pak Gazette Digital has contacted the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations for a response to the IDF claims.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino shakes hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman (left), vice president of the Israel Football Association, as Jibril Rajoub (right), president of the Palestine Football Association, leaves the stage at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on April 30, 2026. (Reuters/Jennifer Gauthier)
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) reported earlier this month that around 1,009 members of its athletic community had been killed by IDF forces since the war began in October 2023, according to Al Jazeera.
The IDF’s exclusive revelations come against the backdrop of a fierce diplomatic and public relations battle on the global sports stage.
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For more than two years, the Palestinian Football Association, headed by Jibril Rajoub, has aggressively lobbied the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA to suspend Israel from international competitions. Rajoub and the PFA have repeatedly cited the rising number of deaths of Palestinian athletes and the destruction of sports infrastructure in Gaza as reasons for an immediate and indefinite ban.
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The campaign reached a boiling point at the recent FIFA congresses. However, after extensive legal reviews, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee ultimately rejected the PFA’s demands to completely suspend Israel.
Instead, FIFA recently opted to fine the Israel Football Association (IFA) for unrelated disciplinary infractions and ordered the Israeli team to display a “Football Unites the World – No Discrimination” banner during upcoming matches.
However, FIFA did not let the IFA remain completely intact. In a compromise move, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee opted to sanction the Israeli association for unrelated disciplinary infractions.
The IFA was fined 150,000 Swiss francs (approximately $190,700) for multiple breaches of its anti-discrimination obligations. Additionally, FIFA ordered the IFA to implement a mandatory anti-discrimination prevention plan and required the Israeli team to prominently display banners reading “Football Unites the World – No Discrimination” during upcoming matches.
