Saleem Khader al-Ashqar, an established 32-year-old Palestinian goalkeeper, stepped out of his home last Monday in search of cooking gas following a request from his pregnant wife. He never returned. Al-Ashqar was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the town of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, ending a life dedicated to football and family.His death is the latest devastating blow for the Palestinian athletic community, with about 1,009 members killed since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began, the official Palestinian Football Association (PFA) reported.Al-Ashqar is among 567 Palestinians to be killed by Israel in the football sector alone since October 7, 2023, when the war on Gaza began.But for his grieving family, al-Ashqar is far more than a statistic. He was the only son among six sisters and had recently celebrated his wedding on January 26, 2026. He and his wife were eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child when tragedy struck.“He went out like any other young man, just trying to provide a gas cylinder for his wife and family, but the treacherous bullets of the occupation struck him,” said his uncle, Captain Farid Al-Ashqar, a member of the PFA referees committee who had helped raise Saleem.From a young age, al-Ashqar was deeply devoted to goalkeeping and dreamed of defending the net for the Palestinian national team. Throughout his career, he played for several local clubs, including Al …
