The Palestinian Football Association announced on Monday, June 29, the death of goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar, 32, in the Gaza Strip. The athlete, who represented Khadamat Khan Younis FC, was reportedly killed by Israeli army fire. Al-Ashqar was shot in the town of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. A source close to the victim, cited by Al-Jazeera, reported that Al-Ashqar lost his life while heading to a store to buy a gas cylinder. The federation also stated that the goalkeeper had married five months ago and that the couple was expecting their first child. In the same statement, the organization lamented the high number of casualties in sports since the beginning of the conflict: ‘The number of martyrs from the sports movement since the start of the extermination war has risen to 1,009, of which 567 are from the Palestinian football family.’ The news prompted a reaction from CD Palestino, a Chilean first division club founded by Palestinian immigrants, which paid tribute to the player on social media: ‘Club Deportivo Palestino deeply regrets the passing of Saleem Al-Ashqar, 32-year-old Palestinian goalkeeper who defended the colors of Khadamat Khan Younis and lost his life at the hands of the Israeli army.’ According to a report from the Ministry of Health of the enclave, certified by the United Nations, the conflict that began with Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, has already resulted in the deaths of nearly 73,000 people in Gaza.
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