Yarmouk Stadium was an association football stadium in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine. Yarmouk Stadium was one of the oldest Palestinian stadiums, opened in 1952 under Egyptian rule and was restored under the direct supervision of the Municipality of Gaza. It is the home stadium of the Gaza Sports Club. The stadium seated 9,000 spectators.[1]
 | |
| Location | Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°30′55.1″N 34°27′20.7″E / 31.515306°N 34.455750°E |
| Capacity | 9,000 (all seated) |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Tenants | |
| Gaza Sports Club | |
Israel–Hamas war
editDuring the Israel–Hamas war, hundreds of Palestinians took shelter in Yarmouk Stadium.[2]
On 24 December 2023, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took control of the stadium, turning it into a detention camp.[2][3][4] Hundreds of Palestinians from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City were detained in the stadium. The detainees, including children as young as 10 years old and elderly people over the age of 70, were forced to strip off all of their clothes except their underwear, with some detainees also blindfolded.[5]
On 27 December 2023, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) sent letters to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA asking for an "urgent international probe into occupation crimes against sports and athletes in Palestine".[6][4] American academic and former professional soccer player Jules Boykoff described the double standards as "glaring" and questioned the IOC's treatment of Israel compared to Russia (which was sanctioned) stating, "If taking over sports facilities are a red line, why silence as Israel converts Gaza’s historic Yarmouk Stadium into an internment camp?"[7]
On 8 January 2024, the Gaza Municipality announced that the IDF had demolished the stadium.[8][9]
By July 2024, the remains of the stadium had become a refugee camp, housing thousands of displaced Palestinians.[10]
References
edit- ^ "World Stadiums - Stadiums in Palestine". Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ^ a b "Beatings, theft and murder: The day the Israeli army came to Gaza's Yarmouk Stadium". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Shocking footage shows Israeli forces round up, strip dozens of Palestinians at Gaza stadium". The New Arab. 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b Zidan, Karim (18 January 2024). "The case for sports sanctions against Israel". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Salman, Abeer; Dahman, Ibrahim; McCluskey, Mitch. "Video appears to show at least two children stripped and detained by IDF in Gaza stadium among Palestinian men". CNN.
- ^ "Palestinian Football Association calls on international community to protect sports facilities". Middle East Monitor. December 28, 2023.
- ^ Zirin, Dave (10 January 2024). "Will the IOC Do Anything About the Killing of Palestinian Athletes?". The Nation.
- ^ "Israeli forces level Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza - Jordan News | Latest News from Jordan, MENA". Jordan News. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Israel must be held accountable for its crimes against Palestinian athletes in Gaza". Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Gaza soccer stadium is now a shelter for thousands of displaced Palestinians". Associated Press. 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2024-07-28.