The Gaza Sunbirds para-cycling team is helping people in Gaza who were displaced due to the conflict with Hamas by providing humanitarian aid. Although the team’s primary objective since its inception in 2020 was to create opportunities for Palestinian para-athletes to participate in international tournaments, including the 2024 Paralympics, it had to shift its focus after the recent deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas. The team members themselves had been displaced from various parts of the Gaza Strip since their training centers had been destroyed during the conflict.
The athletes, aged between 18 and 26, have all lost their limbs in previous Israeli attacks on Gaza or during the 2018 Great March of Return protests, which called for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the return of Palestinians to their villages. Some 75% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now internally displaced, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Gaza’s children are particularly affected, with at least 1,000 of them who have lost one or two limbs by the end of November, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
The Sunbirds, who have so far distributed $70,000 (£56,000) worth of aid, including 53 tonnes of food, have reached more than 170,000 people in southern and central Gaza. They also deliver baby essentials, sanitary products, and other necessities such as duvets. Aid money is yet also used to pay stipends to the athletes and their families. They even distribute toys to children to bring some joy to their broken hearts. Despite the physical strain, delivering the aid in person by bike is a sign of resilience and possibility for the team.
The team’s work has received the support of the international athletic community after coordinating with Athletes for Palestine, an emergency aid appeal based in London, to rally international support. The campaign has so far raised almost $245,000 (£194,000) to aid relief efforts. Challenges such as navigating their own displacement, dwindling food supplies in the local market, and difficulty receiving money transfers have not deterred
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