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9th August 2025
06:29pm BST
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has posted on social media questioning why UEFA did not give more details for the reason behind the death of Suleiman Al-Obeid, nicknamed the 'Palestinian Pele'.
The Palestinian Football Association announced in the week that former international Al-Obaid had been killed.
In a statement on X they said: “The former Palestine national team player, Suleiman Al-Obaid, was killed in an Israeli strike targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Al-Obaid played for the Palestinian national team between 2007 and 2013, playing 19 times and scoring twice.
And on Saturday, UEFA posted on X to say: "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times."
Salah replied by quote-tweeting, saying: "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?"
In 2023, Salah posted on social media calling for an end to the "massacres" in Gaza.
“It is not always easy to speak in a time like this," he said in 2023. "There has been too much violence and too much heartbreak and brutality.
“The escalations in recent weeks is unbearable to witness. All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop, families are being torn apart.”
Al-Obeid reportedly won the Gaza League’s golden boot for three straight seasons from 2015-18, playing for Gaza Sport and Khadamat Al-Shatea.
According to the PFA, he was also known by nicknames such as the Pele of Palestine, the Gazelle, the Black Pearl, and Henry of Palestine.
