Recent false claims have alleged that the IDF deliberately targeted innocent "palestinian" soccer players during the war. Following an intelligence assessment, the IDF is now identifying players, referees, and coaches who were publicly portrayed as civilians but who actually served as operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations and were killed during military operations.
These individuals were presented internationally solely as athletes, with no mention of their affiliations with terrorist organizations. This reflects a broader pattern in which terrorists killed during the war have been described primarily by civilian professions such as journalists, aid workers, or athletes while their involvement in terrorist activity was omitted.
Attached are the names of the terrorists in question, their positions as sportsmen and their roles in terrorist organizations:
1. Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat – Soccer player – Terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th massacre
2. Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi – Soccer player – Company Commander in Hamas’ Aerial Array
3. Mohammed Mansour – Soccer player and coach – Deputy Commander of Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th massacre.
4. Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta – Soccer player – Platoon Commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization
5. Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab – Soccer player – Terrorist in the Islamic Jihad’s anti-tank array
6. Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab – International FIFA referee – Terrorist in the Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade
7. Ali Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Kurd – Soccer player and coach – Islamic Jihad Platoon Commander in Rafah
8. Mohammad Emad Ata Hussouna – Soccer player – Terrorist in Hamas’ military wing who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre
9. Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour – Soccer player – Terrorist in Hamas’ military wing
10. Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour – Soccer player - Platoon Commander in Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion
11. Mahmoud Osama Al-Jazzar – Soccer player – Combat operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization
12. Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri – Soccer player – Combat Commander in Hamas’ Nuseirat Battalion
