While countries around the world are peacefully coming together and celebrating the global sport of soccer with the World Cup, one Palestinian professional soccer player who dreamed of one day playing in the World Cup lost his life before the birth of his first child while trying to care for his family.

According to multiple outlets, 32-year-old Palestinian professional goalkeeper Saleem al-Ashqar was killed by Israeli fire while trying to secure a cooking gas cylinder for his family in southern Gaza, leaving behind his wife, who was pregnant with their first child.

Al Jazeera reports that al-Ashqar set out on a motorcycle to search for a cooking gas cylinder, but he was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the town of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The Palestine Football Association shared that al-Ashqar was struck in the abdomen and rushed to the hospital, where he died of his injuries hours later.

“He went out like any other young man, just trying to provide a gas cylinder for his wife and family, but the treacherous bullets of the occupation struck him,” his uncle, Captain Farid al-Ashqar, a member of the PFA referees committee who had helped raise Saleem, told Al Jazeera.

World Cup Dreams

Al-Ashqar spent his professional career playing for three clubs in the Gaza Strip, representing Al-Aqsa Sports Club and Al-Masdar Sports Club previously before last playing for Khadamat Khan Younis.

While al-Ashqar never had the opportunity to play for the Palestinian national team, his father says that was the ultimate goal for his career.

“He had big dreams,” his father, Khadir Saleem al-Ashqar, told NBC News of his 32-year-old son. “His goal was to make it to the Palestinian national team and proudly represent his people and Palestine on the world stage.”

“When club managements would sit with us to negotiate his contract, Saleem would tell them, ‘I don’t need money; I need to be a player who represents my homeland, my people, and the State of Palestine,’” his uncle told Al Jazeera.

Abdulghani al-Sheikh, president of Khadamat Khan Younis, described the news of al-Ashqar’s killing as a “shocking and harsh” blow to the players, coaching staff, and fans.

“Every martyr from the sports movement is a human story before becoming a statistical number,” al-Sheikh said, addng that he was a “life force” and “role model” for future generations.

Over 1,000 Palestinian Athletes Killed

While al-Ashqar is the latest athlete killed in the region, he is certainly not the only one.

According to the official Palestinian Football Association (PFA), at least 1,009 athletes have been killed in the conflict with Israel.

Mustafa Siam, secretary-general of the Palestinian Sports Media Union, said the figure reflects the “heavy losses suffered by the Palestinian sports sector,” alongside the destruction of numerous stadiums and sports facilities during the war.

The post Palestinian goalkeeper killed by Israeli forces during World Cup appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.