Cycling Amidst Conflict: The Gaza Sunbirds and a Fight for Recognition
A British cyclist’s victory in France was overshadowed by tragedy as the conflict in Gaza claimed the life of a Palestinian athlete, highlighting the extraordinary resilience and political struggle of the Gaza Sunbirds cycling team.
On May 18, Jake Stewart of Israel Premier-Tech won the final stage of the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque race in France. The team’s participation in the Vuelta a España had previously sparked widespread protests. The following day, May 19, Ahmed al Dali, a cyclist representing the same land Stewart hailed from, was killed in an Israeli bombing in Gaza. This was not the first time Israel had inflicted devastating injury upon al Dali; in 2014, a projectile left him for dead, leading to the amputation of a leg after he miraculously awoke in the morgue.
Al Dali’s death is a stark illustration of the human cost of the ongoing conflict, where, as of this writing, more than 68,000 people have been killed in the current invasion. The Gaza Sunbirds, a team comprised entirely of cyclists who have lost limbs, embodies this struggle. Currently, 16 members of the team have suffered amputations, a result of previous Israeli offensives in Gaza, sustained through bombings or sniper fire. In November 2023, Israeli airstrikes destroyed the team’s bicycle warehouse as the current invasion began, rendering any remaining bikes unusable due to damaged roads.
Founded in 2020, the Gaza Sunbirds are more than just a sports team. “Everyone has a story of struggle,” explains Karim Ali, the team’s 26-year-old director and co-founder, speaking from London. Two of its founders, Alaa al Dali – Ahmed’s cousin – and Mohamed Asfour, were evacuated to Egypt and then Belgium in April 2024. They now compete as Team Palestine, a historic first for Palestinian cycling, having participated in international competitions like the Para-Cycling World Cup in Ostend and Maniago, Italy, in May, and the Asian Para-Cycling Championships. Their ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
For these athletes, raising the Palestinian flag in international competitions transcends sport. It is, according to Ali, “an act of political defiance.” He emphasizes that “sport is one of the many global arenas where power is challenged” and the Israeli occupation resisted. The presence of the Gaza Sunbirds in these championships, he asserts, is “a way of reminding the world” of Palestine’s “right to exist” and “be recognized.” This, he believes, “horrifies” Israel, which denies Palestinians the right to a state. Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, reported in September that the Israeli army has killed over a thousand athletes in the past two years of attacks on Gaza.
The team’s origins are rooted in personal tragedy. Alaa al Dali himself was shot by an Israeli sniper in March 2018 during the “Great March of Return” protests, while riding his bicycle. These protests, demanding an end to the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel in 2007, saw a significant increase in amputations, with Israeli snipers deliberately targeting protesters’ limbs, according to a report by the Institute for Palestinian Studies. A disturbing report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from 2020 revealed a radio communication between Israeli soldiers, with one asking, “Can I add another knee this afternoon?” Alaa al Dali was one of approximately 10,000 Palestinians injured in these demonstrations, and one of over 150 who lost limbs due to Israeli gunfire. The injury shattered his dream of competing in the Asian Games in Indonesia.
That same year, Sylvain Adams, the millionaire owner of Israel Premier Tech, secured the start of the 2018 Giro d’Italia in Israel, reportedly in exchange for a €12 million payment to his organization, according to multiple media reports.
Despite the devastating loss of his leg, Alaa al Dali relearned to cycle with a prosthetic and, in 2020, co-founded the Gaza Sunbirds with Karim Ali. Their mission was to enable amputees in Gaza to exercise their right to sport, restore their dignity, and regain their freedom. Ali explains that bicycles provided a means of navigating the Strip without the limitations of crutches, allowing them to “pick up their children from school or visit their mother” without relying on others.
The team’s early days were marked by scarcity. Members had to “tie their feet to the pedals with adhesive tape” due to a lack of proper equipment. Ahmed al Dali, the cyclist killed in May, even trained in jeans, unable to afford sportswear.
The team has since grown, supported by a network of donors and volunteers who provide basic income for the athletes in Gaza. Since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023, the Gaza Sunbirds have transformed into a humanitarian organization, distributing over $400,000 (approximately €346,000) worth of food, prepared meals, and shelter materials to the Gazan population, according to their website. Akram Ajour, the team’s humanitarian aid coordinator, explained via video call from Gaza that this shift was a necessity.
The story of Mohamed Asfour is equally harrowing. He was struck by a sniper during the 2018 “Great March of Return” at age 19 and endured 18 days waiting for Israeli permission for medical evacuation that never came. The resulting infection led to the amputation of his leg. After falling into a deep depression and weighing only 41 kilograms, Asfour found renewed purpose through his connection with Alaa al Dali. Now based in Belgium, Asfour has become the world’s 17th-ranked cyclist in his Paralympic category, proudly displaying the Palestinian flag on his jersey.
Ali emphasizes that Asfour is no longer “that 19-year-old boy who didn’t know what to do with his life.” He is now a role model, particularly as UNICEF estimates that between 3,000 and 4,000 children in Gaza have suffered amputations due to Israeli attacks. Stories like Asfour’s, Ali believes, can offer hope to a generation facing unimaginable loss, convincing them that “there is still a future for them.”
