UPDATE - Israeli army kills Palestinian international runner near aid center in Khan Younis

UPDATES WITH DETAILS

By Ramzi Mahmud and Rania Abu Shamala

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army on Wednesday killed Palestinian international runner Allam al-Amour after shooting him as he tried to get aid in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Anadolu learned.

Family sources said al-Amour “was martyred by Israeli army gunfire near what are known as American aid centers.”

Al-Amour had won the bronze medal at the West Asia Clubs Athletics Championship in the youth category, hosted in Doha in March 2023, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Palestinian runner secured bronze in the 3,000-meter race in the tournament's first edition, which featured 250 athletes representing 12 clubs from West Asian federations.

The Palestinian Athletics Federation mourned the runner.

“With deep sorrow and grief, the Palestinian Athletics Federation mourns the young runner Allam al-Amour, who ascended to his Lord as a martyr,” it said in a post on the US social media company Facebook.

The federation explained that he was killed while trying to obtain a food parcel from aid centers.

“He never expected his end would come with a bullet to the head instead of carrying in his hand something to feed his family.”

On Tuesday, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, said that 774 sports people have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023.

Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine, rendering it uninhabitable.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.