Gaza: A single bullet to the heart ended the life of Palestinian basketball star Mohammed Shaalan as he tried to bring food home to his five children in the Gaza Strip, strangled by famine. Shaalan, a member of Palestine's national basketball team and one of Gaza's top players, was shot dead near a US aid distribution point in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
According to Anadolu Agency, Shaalan's family faced empty shelves and soaring prices, forcing him to turn to the new distribution mechanism as a last resort. His wife, Maysa Joudeh, shared that Shaalan had promised their son he would bring sweets for their youngest daughter, Maryem. With a daughter urgently needing surgery and Joudeh herself malnourished, Shaalan ventured out to get food for their children.
Since May 27, Israel has overseen aid deliveries through the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,' an Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution scheme that the UN and Palestinians have called 'death traps.' Gaza's Health Ministry reported that at least 2,095 Palestinians have been killed and more than 15,431 wounded while waiting for aid since the mechanism began.
Shaalan's mother, Umm Mohammed, recounted that her son left home after the family ran out of flour, with the children crying from hunger. She expressed that these distribution points are traps for the youth and warned Palestinians against going there. At home, the family now clings to Shaalan's trophies and medals, reminders of a career cut short. Shaalan played for several Gaza clubs and earned a place on Palestine's national basketball team.
Rights groups accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Since March 2, Israel has largely shut Gaza's crossings to UN and international convoys, allowing in only minimal supplies that fall far short of the enclave's needs. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine in northern Gaza and warned it could spread to other areas by September. Despite extensive evidence of mass hunger, Israel dismissed these findings.
According to Palestinian sports authorities, 670 athletes have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank since October 2023, and 288 sports and scouting facilities have been destroyed. Joudeh emphasized the family's urgent needs: food, medicine, and safe access to aid, along with their daughter's surgery. Israel's military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine, with over 62,700 Palestinians killed since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.