Published On 4/6/2026
Today, Thursday, the Palestinian Football Association called for urgent international action and holding Israeli officials accountable, against the backdrop of the arrest of the Palestinian women’s national team players, Rand Al-Halawani and Natalie Abu Dayyeh.
This came in statements made by the federation’s official spokeswoman, Dima Youssef, to Anadolu Agency, in which she explained that the Israeli arrest and investigation procedures are still underway, noting that the justifications and pretexts on which the Israeli authorities relied in detaining the two players have not yet become clear.
During the past few days, the Israeli authorities arrested the player Rand Al-Halawani from the city of Jerusalem, and the player Natalie Abu Dayyeh, a student at Birzeit University, following a raid on her home in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, according to what the Palestinian Federation announced.
“Freedom for Natalie and Rand”… Palestine escalates internationally against Israel
The Federation’s spokeswoman considered that the arrest of Al-Halawani and Abu Dayyeh “is not an isolated incident,” but rather comes in the context of “systematic and continuous targeting of Palestinian athletes.” Youssef confirmed that what happened represented “a blatant and clear violation of the regulations of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Olympic principles and charters that guarantee the protection and freedom of athletes.”
She stressed the need to take a firm and effective international stance to stop these ongoing violations against Palestinian sports and hold those responsible accountable, saying: “We demand real international action and holding the Israeli authorities responsible for the arrest of the two players accountable, because the continued international silence perpetuates violations against Palestinian athletes.”
Dima Youssef indicated that the Palestinian Football Association intends to take legal and escalatory steps at the international level to follow up on the case, and officially document it within the comprehensive violations files submitted to the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
She added: “Our message is clear and frank to the world: freedom for Rand, freedom for Natalie, and justice for Palestinian football.”
In numbers…a bloody toll hits Palestinian sports
According to official data and documentary files provided by the Federation’s spokeswoman, the attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 1,008 members of Palestinian federations, clubs, youth and scouting institutions, distributed between 963 males and 45 females, including players, coaches, administrators, referees, and workers in the sports sector.
The numbers explained the following:
- Football victims: The Palestinian Football Association recorded the largest number of victims at 565 martyrs.
- Sports facilities: 265 sports facilities were damaged, of which 184 were completely destroyed, while 81 facilities were partially destroyed.
- Missing people: The Federation monitored the presence of 5 missing members of the Palestinian sports and scouting movement, noting the difficulty of accurately counting the total numbers given the current conditions, especially in the Gaza Strip.
It is worth noting that on October 8, 2023, Israel, with American support, began a genocidal war in Gaza, which left about 73,000 martyrs and about 173,000 Palestinians wounded, most of whom were children, women, and the elderly, in addition to the destruction of 90% of the infrastructure.
Despite the ceasefire agreement declared and concluded since October 10, 2025, Israel continues its genocide operations by restricting the entry of humanitarian aid and imposing a strict siege, in addition to continuous daily bombing, which has resulted in the death and injury of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
