PA prime minister calls on FIFA to condemn killing of Palestinian footballer

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called on the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) to condemn the Israeli killing of a Palestinian footballer, Wafa has reported. Ahmad Atef Mustafa Daraghma, 23, was shot and killed during an Israeli army raid in Nablus.

Shtayyeh condemned the Israeli soldiers who shot Daraghma with bullets in the back and feet while they were protecting illegal Jewish settlers who had stormed the site of Joseph’s Tomb. Five other young Palestinians were wounded, some seriously, with live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets. Another nineteen suffered from tear gas inhalation.

The prime minister called on international rights organisations to shoulder the responsibility to stop Israel killing so many Palestinians and hold the occupation state accountable for its crimes.

Daraghma’s friend Ahmed Rajoub mourned his death on Facebook. “This is a sad day for Palestinian sport,” he wrote. “The dreams and hopes of a Palestinian football star have been stolen by a racist and fascist occupation.”

The number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied territories since the start of 2022 now stands at 224, including 53 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

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