Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has received a mixed response from fans after he published a social media post in reference to Gaza, in what appeared to be his strongest criticism of Israel’s war on the enclave yet.
In the post on X, the Egyptian football star responded to a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) statement about the killing of Gaza footballer Suleiman al-Obeid, which did not mention any details about how he was killed.
Following the post, scores of people denounced UEFA and called on them to reissue the statement, accusing them of being complicit in the killing of al-Obeid and absolving Israel of blame.
The UEFA statement read: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times”.
In response, Salah wrote: “Can you tell us how he died, where and why?”
Can you tell us how he died, where, and why? https://t.co/W7HCyVVtBE
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) August 9, 2025
Since the start of the war on Gaza, fans and activists have called on Salah to use his platform to raise awareness on Israel’s war crimes in the enclave, which includes the killing of thousands of children and civilians, forcibly displacing populations, forced starvation, and the targeting of hospitals and places of worship.
British MP Jeremy Corbyn, who is a vocal supporter of Palestine and has long demanded an end to the war, praised Salah for his post, writing: “Well said Mo!”
Palestinian writer and poet Mosab Abu Taha had a more critical response, writing: “Shame on you for speaking just now. Can you go on and condemn his killers and condemn governments that contribute to his and our people’s suffering? Any child can write what you wrote! 22 months”.
Others joined in with the criticism, with one person commenting: “You’re too late, you should have done this two years ago. Were you afraid to speak out?”
On Instagram, fans and activists flooded his comments section with sarcastic remarks, such as “good morning”, “finally” and “finally, you woke up”.
Despite this, many thanked him for shedding light on what happened to al-Obeid and encouraged him to keep speaking out.
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) and multiple local media sources confirmed that al-Obeid was shot dead by Israeli forces on 6 August, while he was waiting for urgent humanitarian aid in south Gaza.
“During his long career, al-Obeid, 41, scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football,” the PFA said.
The much-loved 41-year-old football star was born in Gaza but also played for the Markaz Shabab al-Am’ari in the occupied West Bank.
He earned praise when he scored against Yemen in the 2010 West Asian Football Federation championship. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Al-Obeid is the latest sports player from Gaza to be killed by Israel, with at least 662 others and their relatives targeted since October 2023. Over 288 sports facilities have also been destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Around 268 of them were in Gaza.
