Palestinian basketball legend killed in Gaza while searching for food for sick daughter

A former Palestinian national basketball player has been killed by Israeli gunfire in southern Gaza while trying to secure food and medicine for his sick daughter, Palestinian media reported late on Tuesday.

Mohammed Shaalan, 40, once one of the most celebrated players on Palestine's national basketball team, was shot dead in Khan Younis near a food distribution site run by American and Israeli agencies, according to Wafa news agency.

Witnesses said Shaalan had gone out in search of food and medicine for his daughter Maryam, who suffers from kidney failure and severe blood poisoning. Instead of returning with supplies, his body was brought back to his family.

Nicknamed "The Earthquake", Shaalan had played for several clubs across Gaza as well as the Palestinian national team and was known for his commanding presence on the court.

His killing has sparked anger and grief across Gaza’s sporting community, already devastated by Israel's genocidal assault.

Israel has recently faced worldwide condemnation for the killing of another former star athlete, Suleiman al-Obeid, nicknamed the "Palestinian Pelé", who was gunned down while waiting for aid at a distribution point in southern Gaza.

According to Palestinian officials, more than 800 athletes, including footballers, basketball players, and coaches, have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its war on 7 October 2023. The ongoing war has killed over 62000 Palestinians - most of them women and children.

Entire sports facilities have been destroyed, leaving what remains of the community without infrastructure, training spaces, or safe venues.

Aid collection points have become sites of mass killings. Palestinians attempting to access food at sites run by the US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites have repeatedly come under fire from Israeli forces and US private contractors working with the agency.

UN figures say more than 1,300 people have been killed while attempting to collect food, with whistleblower accounts saying that many people were deliberately targeted. Despite the danger, thousands of desperate and hungry families continue to risk their lives daily at the distribution centres.

More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, with famine spreading across the enclave under blockade.

Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened, hospitals destroyed, and the territory's fragile infrastructure devastated. The true death toll is believed to be much higher because thousands of uncounted victims are trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Separately, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.