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The Gaza Sunbirds are a para-cycling team based in the Gaza Strip. The team was formed in 2020 by Alaa al-Dali and Karim Ali.
Alaa al-Dali became a cyclist at a young age. In early 2018, he qualified to compete at that year's Asian Games, but was struggling to obtain a permit from the Israeli government to leave the Gaza Strip. In March 2018, he attended the Great March of Return in his cycling gear to "call for [his] right of return as an athlete unable to leave Gaza".[1] While at the protest, he was shot in the leg by an Israeli sniper, shattering his bone. His leg ultimately had to be amputated.[2][3][4][5] While recovering, he met Karim Ali, and over the next year the duo decided to found a para-cycling project. He also adapted a bicycle so he could continue to ride, and began relearning to ride two months after his amputation.[2][4]
The Gaza Sunbirds were officially founded in 2020, and had ten members by the end of the year.[4]
Due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the team has had difficulty accessing supplies, including bicycles and prostheses. The team procures regular bicycles and adapts them but only for cyclists who have lost legs.[2] Additionally, the team's attempts to leave Gaza for competitions have been frequently denied by the Israeli government.[6]
By 2023, the group had 20 members and five cycling sessions a week, including a session for teenagers.[4] At one time the group had around 50 members.[2] The group organized fundraising events to pay for equipment and to raise money for other groups.[2] Some of their group rides were along the coastline or Salah al-Din Road,[7] while others were as long as 55 miles, from the Rafah Border Crossing to the Erez Crossing.[8]
Following the inception of the Israel–Hamas war in 2023, the team began to distribute food to Gaza residents using their bicycles.[9] According to the group, as of May 2024 they have distributed "$140,000 worth of aid, 2,050 meal parcels, 4,900 hot meals and hygiene kits to 500 beneficiaries".[4] The group also worked with Sharek Youth Forum to create a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah.[1]
The war has interrupted the team's hopes of competing at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[8] Team members have been impacted by the famine and humanitarian crisis. Many have been displaced and struggled with poverty and illness. Israeli attacks have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of Gaza, including their training facilities as well as some team members' bicycles and homes.[10][8][2][6] Al-Dali stated: "Living in Gaza, you grow numb anticipating death at any moment."[10]
In April 2024, several team members left Gaza, including Al-Dali, to attempt to qualify for the Paralympics.[10][3] Although Al-Dali participated in qualifiers in Belgium and Italy,[4] he did not qualify for the Paralympics, probably because he had been unable to train during the war in Gaza.[10]
Cycling groups around the world have organized rides in support of the Gaza Sunbirds.[11][12][13]
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