Palestine at the 2024 Summer Olympics
In the lead-up to the event, concerns were raised about the ability of Palestinian athletes to participate due to the destruction of sporting facilities and the exposure to potential harm amid the Israel–Hamas war.[1] The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel reported that, according to the Palestine Football Association, 69 Palestinian athletes of Olympic sports were killed in Israeli attacks or as a result of the intensification of the Israeli blockade between October 2023 and July 2024,[2][3][independent source needed][4][5] including Nagham Abu Samra, a karateka who was expected to compete in the event,[6] and several members of the national volleyball team,[7][8] as well as Majed Abu Maraheel, Palestine's first Olympic flagbearer,[9] Hani Al-Masdar, assistant coach of the Palestinian Olympic football team,[10] and Bilal Abu Samaan, coach of the country's athletics team.[7][8] Gazan weightlifter Mohammed Hamada, who had competed in the 2020 Olympics, lost 20 kg (44 lb) in the famine and injured his knee while transporting water, thus failing to qualify for the 2024 event.[13][14][15][16][17] This included the shirt worn by flagbearer Wasim Abusal during the opening flag parade, which depicted two children playing under warplanes dropping bombs, accompanied by the Olympic rings, olive branches and the Arabic word for 'freedom' (حرية, ḥurriyya).Omar Yaser Ismail qualified for the games after winning the semifinal rounds in his class at the 2024 Asian Qualification Tournament in Tai'an, China, marking the nations debut in this sport.