The defense establishment has responded to the recent international incitement campaign that claimed that IDF forces target Palestinian Athletes in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF on Wednesday revealed the identities of Gazan soccer players, referees, and coaches who it says were presented internationally solely as athletes or innocent civilians, but who were also members of the military wings of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations.
According to the IDF, the disclosure comes in response to what it described as false claims circulated in recent weeks alleging that the military deliberately targeted innocent Palestinian soccer players during the war.
Following an intelligence assessment, the IDF said it can now disclose the organizational affiliations and operational roles of individuals who were eliminated during the war. It stated that in many cases, those individuals were portrayed internationally only as members of the soccer community, without mention of their ties to terrorist organizations.
The IDF said the campaign accusing it of deliberately targeting members of the soccer community forms part of a broader effort against the State of Israel. It added that similar claims throughout the war have presented terrorists who were eliminated by the IDF as journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilian professionals while concealing their involvement in terrorist activity.
The IDF stated that it will continue to expose similar cases in order to present what it described as the full facts and refute claims that do not reflect reality.
The individuals identified by the IDF are:
* Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Barakat, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre.
* Mahmoud Kamal Mohammad Ali Al-Rifi, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a Company Commander in Hamas' Aerial Array.
* Mohammed Mansour, a soccer player and coach, whom the IDF identified as Deputy Commander of Hamas' Nuseirat Battalion who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre.
* Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu Al-Atta, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a Platoon Commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
* Abdullah Riyadh Abdullah Khattab, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist in the Islamic Jihad's anti-tank array.
* Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, an international FIFA referee, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist in the Islamic Jihad's Central Camps Brigade.
* Ali Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Kurd, a soccer player and coach, whom the IDF identified as an Islamic Jihad Platoon Commander in Rafah.
* Mohammad Emad Ata Hussouna, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist in Hamas' military wing who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre.
* Tariq Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a terrorist in Hamas' military wing.
* Mohammed Ziad Hussein Al-Hour, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a Platoon Commander in Hamas' Nuseirat Battalion.
* Mahmoud Osama Al-Jazzar, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a combat operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
* Mohammad Nidal Mohammed Al-Hawajri, a soccer player, whom the IDF identified as a Combat Commander in Hamas' Nuseirat Battalion.