Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malek, 20, has been killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has confirmed.

The association said Abdel-Malek, captain and goalkeeper of Gaza Sports Club, was killed in an attack on Tuesday in the Sabra neighbourhood of southern Gaza City.

Also read: Nigerian nurse held by US immigration for nearly two months

His death was announced by his club in a social media post describing him as a club legend and a member of its first-team squad.

“Club legend and goalkeeper of the first team Mahmoud Kamal Fares Abdel-Malik was martyred moments ago,” the club said.

According to figures provided by the PFA, Abdel-Malek was the 1,017th person involved in sport to be killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s war on the enclave in October 2023.

His death came just five days after he featured in the final of the Gaza and Northern Gaza division of the Thousand Martyrs Cup, a football tournament named in honour of more than 1,000 athletes and sports officials killed in the territory.

Gaza Sports Club finished as runners-up in the competition, which brought together more than 200 clubs from Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

The tournament featured 146 clubs from the West Bank, 44 from Gaza and 36 from refugee camps in Lebanon, with matches beginning simultaneously across the three locations.

PFA President Jibril Rajoub said the competition demonstrated that Palestinians had not lost their national determination despite the destruction and loss of life.

He said sport would continue to represent hope and life for Palestinians.

Abdel-Malek’s killing followed the death of 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Barbak, who was reportedly shot by Israeli forces on Friday while playing football with friends in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

The deaths have drawn further attention to the toll of the conflict on Palestinian athletes and the wider sporting community.

The PFA has also repeatedly criticised FIFA over what it describes as the international football governing body’s failure to take sufficient action against the Israeli Football Association.

In March, the Palestinian association called for the Israeli Football Association to be suspended following a FIFA disciplinary committee report which found that it had failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem over persistent and well-documented racist behaviour.

Rajoub said the PFA would continue its efforts to have the Israeli association expelled from international sporting institutions.

He also cited the killing of athletes and the destruction of sports facilities in Gaza as grounds for the association’s position.

Israeli military operations have severely damaged Gaza’s sporting infrastructure, including stadiums, football clubs, sports halls and academies, according to Palestinian sports officials.

Mustafa Siam, secretary-general of the Palestinian Sports Media Federation, described the situation as an existential crisis for Palestinian sport.

He told the Anadolu news agency in August that more than 50 of Gaza’s 56 sports clubs had been destroyed, alongside about 20 five-a-side football pitches established by the PFA with support from FIFA.

Also read: Nigerian nurse held by US immigration for nearly two months

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least 74,645 Palestinians had been killed and 175,978 injured since October 7, 2023, according to figures cited in the report.