NEWS: Aid Worker Who Organized World Cup Screenings in Gaza Killed in Air Strike
Paul Schmidt-Troschke looks at the story of Mohamed al-Wahidi, a Palestinian aid worker who had organised screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza and who was killed by an Israeli missile strike just before the game between Egypt and Argentina.
1 SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to World Cup Football, etc., with
me, Paul Schmetroschka.
As the Globe was anticipating one of the biggest unforeseen
spectacles of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the already legendary
match between Argentina and Egypt, a devastating tragedy in
the Gaza Strip struck the local population.
Mohammed Al-Wahidi, a 65-year-old Palestinian
humanitarian aid worker who dedicated his final days to
organizing public World Cup screenings for traumatized and
displaced families, was killed by an Israeli missile strike.
And his efforts to bring the World Cup to the people who need
it the most was probably the reason why he was killed.
Mohammed Al-Wahidi was a very dedicated man who was known as
Abu Suhai to the many people he tried to help in his
neighborhood.
Working inside a blockaded area that was suffering from an
Israeli manufactured lack of food, clean water, and basic
medicine, he took on prominent roles as the public relations
director for the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza and as a key
leader who helped keep the community together while their
homes were being purposely turned into ruins.
Because he understood that surviving a war requires people
to hold on to hope just as much as they need food and water, he
spearheaded an initiative to create a mental break for the
traumatized children and families by bringing the joy of
the world's most popular sport right into the middle of the
destruction.
Even though the Gaza Strip was dealing with massive blackouts
and widespread damage when the tournament started, Al-Wahidi
worked incredibly hard to set up large outdoor viewing screens in
places like Gaza City and Khan Yunis so that people could come
together.
For the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of displaced
Palestinians who came out to watch the game, these screenings
were not just about entertainment, but were actually
powerful acts of community resistance against the misery
that was being forced upon them every single day.
Families would sit on the broken pieces of bombed-out buildings
with their faces lit up by the football matches instead of the
flashes of explosives, allowing them to forget about the Israeli
drones flying above 24-7 for just 90 minutes at a time.
Just before the teams from Egypt and Argentina were supposed to
kick off their match, Al-Wahidi was travelling to a screening in
the Tel Al Hawa neighborhood when Israeli drones began to
follow him and attack the car he was riding in.
Although the aid worker somehow survived the very first
explosion and managed to run away to find safety in a
civilian taxi, the danger followed him.
And a second Israeli missile completely destroyed the taxi.
The strike resulted in a totally civilian loss of life, killing
Al-Wahidi along with the 33-year-old taxi driver named
Ahmed Dagmush, a 10-year-old boy named Hamza Al-Deri, and his
eight-year-old brother named Fari.
After the strike happened, the Israeli Defense Forces released
a statement claiming that the military had targeted an unnamed
terrorist in the Hamas military wing who was supposedly
traveling in the vehicle.
But they did not provide a name or any proof for this claim.
For the Palestinians who were left to grief, this excuse is
just another time.
Israel spits in their faces as they are mourning another death
following tens of thousands before.
Palestinians know what role they have in the plans of the Israeli
government.
Not only because they experience the plan in action every day,
but because they listen to their oppressors.
Israel's current president, Isaac Herzog, for example,
stated that, quote, there are no innocent civilians in Gaza, end
quote, and that an quote unquote entire nation is responsible for
the October 7th attacks.
Amichai Eliahu, who is the current Minister of Heritage,
suggested dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza.
Even though the community was overwhelmed with sadness while
carrying Al-Wahidi's body through the apocalyptic streets
of Gaza, they showed the exact strength he had wanted them to
have by gathering again that very evening to watch the
scheduled match, refusing to let the violence completely take
away their right to exist and find joy.
This quiet gathering in the dark was a powerful tribute to a man
who gave everything to bring a little bit of light, proving
that their spirits cannot be broken by bonds.