Two Palestine women’s national team players abducted by occupying Israeli forces | OneFootball

Two members of the Palestine women’s national team have been abducted and illegally detained by occupying Israeli authorities in two separate incidents. Rand Halawani and Natalie Abu Dayeh were taken from occupied Palestine on Tuesday.

In a statement made by the Palestinian FA, 20-year-old Rand Halawani has been confirmed to be held for prolonged detention by the occupying Israeli authorities. The FA also strongly condemned the arrests. “Their arrest is not an isolated incident, it is part of a well-documented pattern of systemic targeting of Palestinian athletes, which continues without accountability”.

The FA continued “If FIFA is to uphold its own statutes, which commit to human rights, non-discrimination and the protection of the game’s integrity, then decisive measures must be taken. Accountability cannot remain optional, nor can it be applied selectively.” They summarised.

Israel’s military also arrested Natalie Abu Diyeh from her student accommodation, alongside three other Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank during the Tuesday raids. The occupying Israeli authorities claim the athletes are ‘promoting terrorist activities and additional terrorist-related activities’. This is a common accusation towards civilians in occupied Palestine in order to create arrest warrants.

The university the women were taken from have denounced the arrests. Birzeit University said the arrests are a part of Israel’s ‘systemic policies targeting Palestinian education and students’ right to continue their academic journey’.

A history of Athleticide

In October 2024, Al Jazeera reported that 410 athletes, sports coaches or officials had been killed in Palestine. Of those killed, 297 were footballers. That number will be much higher in 2026 but harder to accurately document due to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

In 2024, we told the story of Bisan Abu Aita and Jennifer Shatara as part of a larger story regarding Palestinian international Charlotte Phillips.

Phillips recalled: “Two of our players, they live in Bethlehem in the West Bank. So they have to travel hours to the checkpoints to try and get through the border and into Jordan. It took them the whole day to travel, initially by car and then by foot, in severe 40-degree heat after the border was suddenly closed by Israeli forces. They were both carrying huge suitcases with their equipment, clothing and boots for the tournament. They decide to walk around the checkpoint, up a large hill. If they miss their flight in Jordan, they miss the fixtures.”

BILBAO, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 15: Fans of Palestine show their support (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“This puts them at risk of getting shot or being arrested. They’re risking everything for the opportunity to represent Palestine. It shows how strong their resilience is and through that, they teach me. I respect the hell out of them, and they are the best, most genuine, caring, resilient people I know.”

In reality, the journey from Bethlehem to the Jordanian border should take roughly half an hour. There is a serious risk of being killed while crossing a border the way Aita and Shatara have done. The UN reported in April 2026 that at least 269 Palestinians were killed and 4,081 injured, specifically in the West Bank, bringing the cumulative toll since October 2023 to 1,104 fatalities and 11,484 injuries.