STORY: Suleiman al-Obeid, the “Pele” of Palestinian soccer, hoped to keep playing until he was 50, but an Israeli tank shell dashed his dream a decade early, his family said.
The shell killed the 41-year-old this week in southern Gaza while he was waiting in line to collect food.
His widow, Doaa al-Obeid, called this the shock of her life.
She clutches onto the number 10 shorts he wore for his Gaza club Al-Shati, calling it the “most precious thing left behind by him.”
It’s one of the only mementos she has of her late husband… many of his belongings were destroyed in a bombardment that hit their home earlier this year.
But despite the hardships, Doaa says Obeid kept playing.
“He used to go training every day and never stopped, not a single day. Even during the crisis of war, in the midst of rockets, shelling, and mass killing, he would go play. He used to gather his friends and loved ones and go play with them.”
Obeid became more well-known this week after Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah criticized a tribute by Europe’s governing soccer body UEFA, that did not mention the cause of death.
Responding to Salah’s post on X, an Israeli military spokesperson said quote, “After an initial review, we found no records of any incidents involving Suleiman al-Obeid. In order to take a closer look, we need more details.”
The Palestinian Football Association said Obeid was killed in an attack by the Israeli military in southern Gaza while waiting to collect aid at a distribution point. His family said it was a tank shell that killed him.
Palestinian soccer fans say they will focus on Obeid’s legacy, not his death.
This fan and barber says children called him “Henry,” in a comparison to French great Thierry Henry, and the “Pele of Palestine.”
Obeid’s 17-year-old daughter says he “loved the name Pele.”
