Nagham Abu Samra (Arabic: نغم أبو سمرة) was a Palestinian karate champion who opened a sports training club for girls in Gaza. She was expected to represent Palestine in the 2024 Summer Olympics but was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the Israel-Hamas War.

Karate Career

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Abu Samra was born in 1999 or 2000[1] and was from the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.[2] She began learning karate as a child, eventually attaining a black belt.[1] Although she was criticized by some people in her community for participating in a sport they considered to be off-limits for girls, her father supported her interest in karate.[3][4]

Abu Samra obtained a Master's degree in Physical Education at Al Aqsa University.[1] She competed several times at the Palestine Karate Championship, placing first in 2019.[1][3][4]

In 2021, Abu Samra started a sports training club for girls.[2][4][1] She advocated for girls to participate in sports,[1] stating: "I wanted every girl to feel her strength from within, not from those surrounding her."[3] According to her father, she wanted to "inspire generations of girls to play karate".[5]

Considered a Palestinian sports "icon",[1][6] Abu Samra was expected to represent Palestine in the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1][7]

Her mother died of cancer shortly before the Israel-Hamas War began in 2023.[5][4]

Israel-Hamas War

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On December 17 or 18, 2023,[4][8] Abu Samra was injured in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat Refugee Camp that also killed her sister Roseanne.[1][9][2] She sustained serious head injuries which put her in a coma, and her right leg was amputated.[1][9] She was treated in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.[10] Due to the hospital's lack of capacity to treat her severe injuries, the hospital attempted to evacuate her.[1] Her father, Marwan, posted a video on social media requesting international assistance in transferring her for medical care.[9][8] After several weeks, Abu Samra was granted a medical permit and transferred to a hospital in Egypt.[1] A few days later, she died.[9]

Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestine Olympic Committee, called her death a loss for Palestinian sports.[1]

Abu Samra has been mentioned in several news articles about athletes killed by Israel in the Israel-Hamas War.[11][6][7][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Abed, Abubaker (2024-02-27). "Nagham Abu Samra: Palestine karate champion, victim of Israel's war on Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  2. ^ a b c Zbeedat, Nagham (2024-08-15). "A Poet, a Karate Champion, a Famed Artist: The Life Stories of 40 of the 40,000 Killed in Gaza". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ a b c Harouda, Ameera (2021-04-15). "Nagham Abu Samra: Karate Champion". Ted in Arabic. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e AlTaher, Nada (2023-12-26). "Female Gazan karate champion loses leg in Israeli strike". The National. Archived from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  5. ^ a b "Nagham Abu Samrah: Gaza karate champion dies after being injured in missile strike". Sky News. 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  6. ^ a b Samaha, Albert (2024-07-24). "He's 18, a taekwondo prodigy — and Palestine's best medal hope". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ a b Abed, Abubaker (2024-05-07). "'I've been robbed of my dreams': the sporting tragedy of the war in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  8. ^ a b "Sports groups urged to save Palestine karate champion's life". Middle East Monitor. 2024-01-10.
  9. ^ a b c d "'Most beautiful karate player': Gaza female athlete dies after losing leg due to Israeli airstrike". Arab News Japan. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  10. ^ "11 Nagham Abu Samra Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images". Getty Images. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  11. ^ Serhan, Yasmeen (2024-07-18). "The IOC Wants the Olympics to Be Apolitical. That's Impossible". TIME. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  12. ^ Ali, Rabia (2024-07-26). "Gaza's athletes caught between Olympic dreams and Israeli bombs on cusp of Paris 2024". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 2024-09-26.