Naples stops to remember Mohammed Al Sultan, 23, and his brother Bahaa, 14, respectively coach and footballer of the Al Haddaf Team, killed together with their family during a bombing in the Gaza Strip on May 16th. Their memory takes shape through a football tournament and a series of awareness initiatives involving the city of Naples, where solidarity with young Palestinians translates into a concrete gesture.
Mohammed and Bahaa's story is closely linked to Naples through their collaboration with the Spartak San Gennaro soccer school , a project that has supported dozens of minors from difficult neighborhoods for years. In January, Spartak hosted representatives of the Al Haddaf Team and signed a twinning agreement with the aim of supporting the boys from Gaza, allowing them to continue cultivating their passion for soccer even in times of war. "Since then, we have maintained constant contact with the Palestinian coaches ," says one of the educators. " Every news of bombings filled us with anguish. The news of Mohammed and Bahaa's deaths left us dismayed."
The initiatives in Naples began with a flash mob, promoted by activists from 'Liberi edizioni', who transformed a shop shutter into a large front page with the headline "Chi resiste non muore mai!" and a photo of Mohammed with his boys, accompanied by a text reconstructing the tragedy. In the afternoon, before the football tournament dedicated to the victims of Gaza, red paper poppies, made by the young participants themselves, will be placed in front of a plaque to symbolize memory and hope.
It is sad to see how war affects the lives of so many young people. The story of Mohammed and Bahaa must make us all reflect on how important peace and solidarity between peoples are. I hope that initiatives like these continue.