The first Palestinian athlete to participate in the Olympic games died on Wednesday at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza as a result of kidney failure due to power outages and medical shortages as a result of the ongoing Israeli war and siege of the enclave.
Majed Abu Maraheel, who passed away at the age of 61, became the first athlete to be the flag bearer and represent Palestinians at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Being a distance runner, he competed in the 10km race.
Since his breakthrough on the world stage, more than 20 Palestinian men and women have been able to compete at Olympic competitions.
"He was a Palestinian icon, and he will remain as such," his brother told Paltoday TV after the funeral.
"We tried to evacuate him to Egypt but then the Rafah crossing was closed (by Israel), and his condition kept deteriorating."
In his preparation for the Olympics, Abu Maraheel would often be seen on his daily runs from his home in Gaza to the Erez Crossing with Israel, which Israel closed in October after imposing a full blockade on the Strip.
Last month, it was reopened for the first time since then.
He would often have to pass through that crossing for his job as a day labourer in Israel. After participating in the Olympics, Abu Maraheel went on to become a coach for other Palestinian runners hoping to replicate his presence at the international competition.
Abu Maraheel's death highlights the grim fate of many Palestinians who are facing kidney failure in Gaza.
A report from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in March found that there were between 1,000 to 1,500 patients in Gaza with kidney failure, and that they are facing a "slow death" because of "a lack of medical and therapeutic services, medications and other necessities".
Israel denies blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, though aid agencies say they are not able to get aid in because of Israeli restrictions.
There are no innocent soldiers in iof, including the women. I've seen female soldiers laughing and dancing at the misery of Palestinian people and doing heinous acts just like their male counterparts.
From Quds News, we can see the car is clearly marked as World Central Kitchen (WCK) even from above. Check this post for the WCK statement on the attack but also have a look at how the spins & lies have already begun:
You don't need to be an expert to know a roadside bomb would have hit that car differently. Like do they think our eyes and brains don't work?
WCK had 3 cars in their convoy and have reported 7 workers total killed. Now they have suspended operations for aid delivery. Aid from every direction is being blocked and affected in the strip, israel is starving the people of Gaza and killing anyone who tries to get food or give them food. It's insane and that word doesn't feel like enough but I don't know what else to say at this point.
13-year-old Hussein Mohsen, a member of Al-Risala Scouts of Amal, along with his mother and 6-month-old sibling, was killed by the IOF in the latest airstrikes targeting Al-Sawwana, south Lebanon.