Ahmed al-Dali, a 33-year-old father of four and beloved member of Gaza's para-athlete community, was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli strike on Khan Younis. He was a cyclist with the Gaza Sunbirds, a team of amputee athletes formed in 2020 to represent Palestine and deliver aid across the besieged territory.
Known to his family as a kind, determined man with a deep love of sport, al-Dali lost his leg in 2014 during an Israeli bombing. At the time, he was initially declared dead and taken to a morgue until his family discovered he was still alive. He later turned to para-sport as a source of empowerment and purpose.
The Gaza Sunbirds announced his death with heartbreak. "It breaks my heart to have to continue our journey without him, but we will keep going for all those we lost during this genocide," said his cousin and fellow cyclist Alaa al-Dali.
Karim Ali, co-founder and manager of the team, told The New Arab that al-Dali had little financial support but never let that stop him.
"He came to training in jeans and regular shoes. But sport gave him a sense of freedom - he used it to reclaim his body and his dignity, to be part of a society that so often ignores people like him," Ali said.
Al-Dali was among at least 53 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes that day, which targeted shelters and schools across the Strip. The bombardment comes as the war on Gaza drags into its eighth month, under an intensifying blockade.
UK arms sales under fire
Following al-Dali's death, the Gaza Sunbirds condemned the UK government's continued arms exports to Israel.
"As a UK-registered organisation, we call on the British government to immediately halt weapons sales to Israel," Ali said. "There is evidence that jet components are still being exported, despite public opposition and government claims of restrictions."
He cited a recent report from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine that accuses the UK of complicity in what human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have described as a genocide.
"The public has been deceived. Most people are against this war and the killing of civilians, yet jet parts are still being shipped. We’re witnessing the consequences every day. We’ve reached our limit," he added.
Gaza's disability crisis
Disability in Gaza was widespread even before the current war, largely due to repeated military assaults and a lack of healthcare infrastructure. Since the October 2023 escalation, it has surged dramatically.
According to UNICEF, between 3,000 and 4,000 children have lost limbs in the war, making Gaza home to more child amputees per capita than anywhere else in the world.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has called it a "pandemic of disabilities," with children undergoing amputations without anaesthetics due to hospital bombings and medical supply shortages.
Ali stressed that the world, and especially groups working on disability rights, must do more. "These issues affect every society. Sports bodies, disability organisations, they all have a role to play in pushing governments to act," he said.
He described the daily reality for disabled people in Gaza as nearly unlivable. "The streets are impassable, there’s no public transport, no prosthetic care, no equipment coming in. Displacement is constant, and finding your way back to your tent or even getting a portion of rice during aid distribution can be a life-or-death challenge."
As Gaza's infrastructure collapses and food shortages deepen, the ability of disabled people to survive is further compromised.
"Over time, the basic tools that helped people manage their disabilities - whether bicycles or buses - have disappeared," Ali said.
Israel’s war on Gaza has flattened neighbourhoods, killed over 35,000 people, and displaced the majority of the population. For the disabled, the toll is not only physical - it's the loss of autonomy, safety, and the barest means to live.