Gaza has long been a center of sports activity in Palestine. This essay gives a brief history of sports in Gaza, including major sporting clubs, and Palestinian sporting connections with international bodies. Since October 2023, athletes and sports infrastructure have been impacted by the genocidal assault that Israel has inflicted on Gaza’s people and its built environment. In addition to the athletes and coaches who have been killed, sports clubs and arenas have been destroyed, and stadiums used for mass arrests and mass graves. The essay also addresses the silence by international sporting bodies, including the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), with regard to the destruction of sports infrastructure and genocide in Gaza more generally.
