GENEVA, Switzerland — UEFA has announced new partnerships with Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Handicap International, aiming to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to children in Gaza — a population the UN Secretary-General has described as facing “a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.”
The move comes days after Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah publicly challenged UEFA on social media over its muted response to the killing of former Palestine international Suleiman Al-Obeid in Gaza. “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” Salah wrote on X, questioning the organisation’s silence beyond a brief statement.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the decision reflected the organisation’s moral responsibility to support children trapped in conflict zones.
“Whatever the adults waging wars think they are doing, the children are innocent,” Čeferin said. “But, in all conflicts, they are dying every single day and we must do what we can to help those who are trying to make life more tolerable and normal for them. It’s our duty — as adults, as parents, as neighbours, as human beings — to stand beside children when they need us.”
The UEFA Foundation will work with its new partners to deliver medical aid, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support to Gaza’s most vulnerable, where months of bombardment have devastated infrastructure, displaced families, and left basic healthcare in crisis.
While UEFA did not directly reference Salah’s comments in its announcement, the timing has sparked speculation that the footballer’s high-profile intervention — amplified to millions of followers — may have influenced the decision.
Humanitarian agencies continue to warn that Gaza’s children face not only immediate dangers from the conflict but also long-term trauma and deprivation, with food, clean water, and medical care in critically short supply.
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