IDF names 12 slain Gaza soccer figures who were Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorists

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday identified 12 Palestinian soccer players, coaches and a FIFA referee whom it said served in the “military” wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, explaining why it eliminated them and rejecting what it described as a false campaign accusing Israel of deliberately targeting athletes during the war in Gaza.

The military said that the men were targeted because of their involvement in terrorist activity, not because of their roles in soccer. According to the IDF, after they were killed, many were portrayed internationally as innocent players, coaches or referees, while their affiliations with terrorist organizations were ignored.

“These claims are proven to be false,” the IDF said, adding that the allegations mirror other campaigns portraying Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists, humanitarian aid workers and members of other protected professions.

Among those identified was Mohammed Khattab, a FIFA international assistant referee who the IDF said served in Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade.

The military also named Mohammed Hassouna, captain of the Shabab Al-Zawaida team, who it said was a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Mohammed Mansour, described publicly as a player and youth fitness coach with Khadamat Al-Nuseirat, was identified by the IDF as the deputy commander of Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion and as a participant in the Oct. 7 attacks.

The IDF also named Ahmed al-Atta, who played for several Gaza clubs, as a platoon commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Ali al-Kurd, a former player and coach, as an Islamic Jihad platoon commander in Rafah; Mahmoud al-Jazzar, a goalkeeper, as an Islamic Jihad operative; and Abdullah Khattab as a member of the terrorist group’s anti-tank unit.

Other names released by the military included Gaza soccer star Mohammed Barakat, also known as the “Khan Yunis Legend,” who the IDF said infiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre; Mahmoud al-Rifi, identified as a company commander in Hamas’s aerial array; Mohammad al-Hawajri, a Hamas combat commander in the Nuseirat Battalion; Tariq Al-Hour, a Hamas operative; Mohammed al-Hour, a Hamas platoon commander; and Mohammad Hussouna, whom the military also identified as a Hamas terrorist who entered Israel on Oct. 7.

The IDF said the men “used their civilian professions as a cover for their terrorist affiliations,” exploiting their protected status while participating in terrorist activity.

“The IDF does not deliberately target Gazan athletes,” the military said, adding that it would continue to release information about similar cases “to present the full facts and refute claims which do not reflect reality.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, accused Hamas of embedding its men throughout Gaza’s civilian institutions.

“Hamas has hijacked every public institution in Gaza, and has its terrorists cosplaying every imaginable profession: teachers, healthcare workers, aid staffers, artists, journalists, and even athletes,” Leiter wrote on X. “A terrorist in a soccer uniform is still a terrorist. Don’t fall for their lies.”