Palestinian Pele: Suleiman al Obeid shot dead aged 41 by Israeli troops who opened fire on people waiting to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza

Suleiman al-Obeid wa killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the sport's local governing body said. Obeid, 41, was killed when Israeli forces "targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip", the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement.

Around 12,000 children aged under five in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, and hunger-related deaths are rising, the World Health Organization has said. An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 international matches for team Palestine, the PFA said.

"During his long career, Al-Obeid scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football," it added. The midfielder also played for the Al-Amari Youth Center Club in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

While living there in 2010, Obeid was among six players on the national team from Gaza who were turned back at the Jordanian border for "security reasons" on their way to a friendly in Mauritania. An Israeli security official said at the time that the players had failed to renew special permits allowing them to play in the West Bank.

"When I heard that we would be forbidden from travelling I was very upset, because any athlete dreams of wearing his national jersey in international forums," Obeid told AFP in 2010. "We want to be able to travel freely with our families, just like athletes anywhere else in the world."

Israel had previously allowed the six players to travel with the team. Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children.