On Tuesday, June 2, Israeli occupation forces arrested five Palestinian women, including two athletes — Rand Halawani, a member of the Palestinian national football (soccer) team and the Nashama Al-Mustaqbal Club, and Natalie Abudayyeh, a former teammate of Rand’s on the national team, now a student in media and journalism at Birzeit University.

Rand Halawani, 20, was summoned for questioning at the Israeli occupation’s “Talpiot” police station, west of Jerusalem; her detention has since been extended. Natalie Abudayyeh, 21, was arrested from student dormitory accommodations in Birzeit, along with three other young Palestinian women, all Birzeit University students: Jolan Abu Awwad, Laila Khalil and Sama Safi.

Natalie’s phone and personal belongings were confiscated, while her notebook and pen where she was writing her assignments just moments before her arrest were left behind. She is now reportedly being held in Ofer prison after the young women’s detention was extended.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) denounced the prolonged detention of Rand Halawani, and said the arrests were “not an isolated incident, it is part of a well-documented pattern of systematic targeting of Palestinian athletes, which continues without accountability”.

This comes just two days after the occupation authorities prevented football player Musab Abu Salem from traveling to Italy with the Palestinian Stars team to participate in a humanitarian and solidarity match against the “Napoli World” team. The occupation authorities stopped the player at the Karameh crossing to Jordan while he was traveling with the team delegation, subjected him to interrogation, and then ordered him barred from travel.

Since the escalation of genocide in Gaza in October 2023, more than 949 athletes have been killed, including 110 children and 179 scouts. A large number of athletes have also suffered amputations. 269 sports facilities in Gaza were partially or completely destroyed. Suleiman al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pelé,” was martyred while waiting in line for food aid.