Israel army says 12 Gaza football figures it killed were militants
The Israeli military has identified 12 Palestinian football figures killed in Gaza as members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups. The Palestinian Football Association has denied these allegations, characterizing them as a cover-up for the killing of athletes.
Why it matters
This report highlights the intense information warfare and conflicting narratives surrounding casualties in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Israeli military accused 12 Palestinian football figures – including a FIFA-registered referee – that it killed during the war in Gaza of being members of militant groups.
A Palestinian Football Association official in Gaza rejected the military’s allegations.
The military said it was releasing the names to counter what it described as “false claims” that Israel had deliberately targeted members of Gaza’s football community.
“The IDF is now revealing the identities of Palestinian soccer players, referees, and coaches who were presented as athletes and innocent civilians, but who in fact served as terrorists in the military wings of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” the military said.
According to the military, several of those named held command positions within the armed groups, while others served as combat operatives.
Meet some of Hamas & Islamic Jihad’s “soccer players”: pic.twitter.com/nRdvM08AvG
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