Nenagh visitor killed in Gaza

A young soccer player who was part of a team that visited Nenagh in 2016 has been killed in Gaza.

Muhammad Khalifa (20), who played with the Palestinian Al-Hilal club, sampled hurling in Burgess while also playing soccer matches against Nenagh AFC and Celtic. He was one of 14 soccer players between the ages of 10 and 14 who came to Nenagh for a five-night stay in 2016 as part of an Al-Hilal project aimed at forging links with communities around Europe.

None of the youngsters had ever been outside Gaza before. They were amazed by what they saw in Ireland and their visit was widely hailed as a great success.

Sadly, news emerged last week that Muhammad, known to his friends as Khalifa, along with seven other members of his family, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home at the Nuseirat refugee camp. Among the dead was his brother Mahmoud who, like Khalifa, had gone on to become a member of the Palestinian national youth team.

Reacting to the news with great sadness, the Nenagh Friends of Palestine remembered Khalifa and his family during the ‘Hunger for Justice’ vigil that they organised at Banba Square last Thursday night.

GAZA ‘SUPERSTARS’

The Nenagh link with Al-Hilal began in 2010 when local men Joe Gilmartin and Jimmy Nolan delivered a van loaded with aid to Gaza. Several attempts were made in the years after that to organise a visit for the young soccer players. Of the group that eventually got to go in 2016, five adult minders and one child were prevented from leaving Gaza because the Israeli authorities would not issue travel permits.

The youngsters and two adults that did make it to Nenagh were given a warm welcome by the local community at Banba Square. They stayed in the Ormond Hotel and received a Civic Reception at the Hiberninan Inn, attended by the Palestinian Ambassador along with Cllr Phyll Bugler, Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District, and other local councillors.

They met Shane MacGowan in Nenagh. They also met President Michael D Higgins when their hosts the Nenagh Friends of Palestine brought them to see Galway Utd play Dundalk at Eamonn Deacy Park.

The young Palestinian visitors were entertained by Cloughjordan Circus and Nenagh Equestrian Centre, and they were taken on a boat trip on the Shannon. They played matches against both Nenagh AFC and Celtic. They visited Burgess GAA Club, where Khalifa - then aged 12 - and his friends got their first taste of hurling.

Further afield, they got to see Bunratty Castle and the Cliffs of Moher on day out when they played another match against Kinvara, Co Galway.

“Everyone has been so welcoming,” Ayed Abu-Ramadan, Manager of the Al Hilal U14s, told this newspaper during the Nenagh visit. The kids feel like they're superstars, celebrities even!”

He spoke of the kids' surprise at how freely they could move around, and of the goodwill and solidarity they experienced from people in Ireland. They were fascinated by things that we take for granted here, such as uninterrupted supply of electricity, potable water and sewerage.

‘THEY FELT SO LOVED’

Plans were made for follow up-visits and Khalifa did make a return trip to Ireland the following year. But life took a very different course after that, ending with yet another series of tragic deaths in Gaza last week.

“Muhammad was murdered today in Gaza - with members of his family,” the Nenagh Friends of Palestine posted on Facebook. “He was a hugely talented footballer and it was a pleasure to be in his company. RIP.”

Zoe Lawlor, Chair of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told RTÉ News last week that Khalifa was a “brilliant” soccer player. “We just had a lovely time with them while they were here, and they loved Ireland,” she said. “They felt so loved here.”

The Palestinian Football Association has said that over 350 football players have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war last year.