The Gaza Man: A Palestinian’s quest to make it to the Olympics
Prior to each weightlifting tournament, Mohammed Hamada reflects on Gaza.
He is haunted by the memories of the devastation of his community and the burial site he made for the neighbors who perished in the tragedy.
Due to these conditions, a unique type of athlete has emerged. This individual had to resort to consuming animal feed to stay alive, resulting in a weight loss of 18kg. Eventually, he made the difficult decision to depart from Gaza and his loved ones in order to pursue his dream of participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
"We exited Gaza not to evade death," the 22-year-old Palestinian weightlifter explained.
"We departed from Gaza to fulfill our duty in protecting Palestine."
Ascending Career
Mohammed hails from a lineage of individuals skilled in the sport of weightlifting.
All of his older brother's children are involved in the sport, and his brother, Hussam, who is also the weightlifting coach for Palestine's national team, has been coaching him for many years.
When he was only 18 years old, Mohammed achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Palestinian weightlifter to compete in the Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2020.
After that, he achieved first place at the Junior World Championships held by the International Weightlifting Federation in Greece in 2022.
Mohammed's professional success was on the rise, but the conflict between Israel and Gaza began on October 7th, following an attack by Hamas in southern Israel, causing him to come crashing back down to reality.
The main concern for the people living in Gaza was staying alive, as Israel continuously attacked the area, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 individuals.
Despite everything going on, Mohammed never wavered in his determination to reach the Olympics.
The initial challenge he faced: finding a way out of Gaza.
Navigating The Deadly Passage
Despite the continuous bombardment of rockets and missiles in their Gaza neighborhood of Tuffah, Hussam did not stop tutoring his brother.
Using broken buildings as a makeshift gym, the duo lifted weights and worked out as best they could.
"Having the right tools doesn't create a winner. It's the situations that shape a champion," Mohammed stated.
However, despite their continuous training, the Hamadas didn't commit to attempting to reach the Olympics until the beginning of 2024.
Their dad proposed that they attempt to depart from Gaza, so Hussam and Mohammed headed towards the Rafah border with Egypt.
Over the course of three days, Hussam depicted the trek as a "journey to the afterlife".
When Hussam left his home, it felt as gloomy as attending a funeral. He left his wife and three sons, who are 13, 11, and six years old.
"Tareq wouldn't release his hug," Hussam shared about his youngest son. "Jude and Khamis were shedding tears."
Even though Hussam's choice to depart carries a heavy burden, he finds comfort in having the backing of his family.
Hussam expressed regret for leaving them behind, but they have faith in our goals, the Olympic dream, and Mohammed.
"The journey to the Olympics is not only a dream for Mohammed, but a dream shared by the entire family."
The Hamada brothers stayed in Rafah for nearly a month, eagerly anticipating news that would bring them closer to their dream - the approval from the Egyptian government to leave the conflict-ridden Gaza.
After a long 23-day wait, the confirmation finally arrived.
At the beginning of April, Mohammed and Hussam left Gaza with only their personal belongings and headed to Thailand to take part in the IWF World Cup, which took place on Phuket Island.
This competition was the final chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
"Getting Ready For The Games"
Even after leaving Gaza, it would still be a challenge for Mohammed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
In order for Mohammed to secure a spot in the weightlifting competition, he had to participate in two qualifying events. One of these events was the 2024 IWF World Cup held in Thailand.
However, Mohammed's readiness, even in absence of the conflict in Gaza, was filled with various challenges.
"Dietary supplements are crucial for strength building for us weightlifters," Mohammed explained.
"These cannot be found in Gaza."
In 2022, while attending a training camp in the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bought a supplement from a store to help him maintain his weight and muscle strength.
"We discovered afterwards that the dietary supplements were fake and contained prohibited substances, even though these substances were not disclosed on the supplement's packaging," he explained.
"I suffered the consequences for something I didn't realize I was doing," he mentioned. "Ultimately, it was classified as an accidental occurrence involving the substance."
Mohammed was temporarily banned.
He hasn't competed in over two years, so the IWF World Cup in Thailand will be his first competition.
Although he was glad to be competing again in the international sports arena, the scars of the war were still apparent.
His significant decrease in weight was a hindrance in a sport that requires a lot of muscle and strength.
"We departed from Gaza just 10 days ago, and I have had limited time to recover my energy," Mohammed mentioned while taking breaks during his workout at the training gym.
Surrounded by people in top physical shape, Mohammed remembered the food he had to eat in order to stay alive.
For nearly 164 days, we had to consume food that was not meant for human consumption, even resorting to eating animal feed.
On the day of the competition, it was clear that Mohammed was at a disadvantage.
He was able to lift 100kg in one type of lift and 120kg in another. However, his highest accomplishment was in 2021 when he lifted 141kg in one lift and 171kg in another.
However, Mohammed and Hussam were aware that simply relying on their performance wouldn't be enough to qualify for the competition.
Instead of staying in Gaza, I decided to leave and go to Thailand to compete in the last Olympic qualifier.
Even though Mohammed only participated in one qualifying event, he received support from significant sports organizations.
"We think there will be a special arrangement for Mohammed to participate in the Olympics," stated Nader Jayousi, the technical head of the Palestine Olympic Committee.
Jayousi, who has been acquainted with the Olympian for a long time, expressed his confidence in Mohammed's outstanding skill as a sportsman.
"But in situations like famine, starvation, weight loss, and death, I don't believe we should use strict criteria for eligibility," he stated.
"He is a symbol of an entire country."
Following their participation in the World Cup competition in Thailand, the Hamada siblings moved to Doha, Qatar.
With the backing from the Palestinian, Qatari, and International Olympic committees, Mohammed started to put on weight and build up his strength again.
In the midst of the Hamadas' rigorous training schedule, Gaza was always on their minds.
Protests persisted in the Tuffah area where they lived, and occasional updates came in from their family and Hussam's kids.
Hussam's children would regularly send video updates while standing in front of their destroyed neighborhood.
"I just want to make sure you know that we are all safe after the bombing at the mosque," 13-year-old Khamis reassures in a video.
"The reality is that things are tougher than I had expected," Mohammed stated. "As soon as I left Gaza, I was consumed with fear of losing my family and friends."
"While I was experiencing everything, I didn't feel the full force of it. But now, I am overwhelmed with feelings of fear, worry, and sorrow," he explained.
The Hamada family gave up living close to their relatives so that Mohammed could focus on his dream of competing in the Olympics.
However, it didn't happen.
On June 6th, the IWF released a list of the athletes who were awarded wild card entries to the Paris Games.
Sitting facing each other in their hotel room in Doha, Hussam scrolled through the website and noticed that Mohammed's name was not there.
"Everything is fine," the coach whispered.
After a few moments of quiet reflection, Mohammed spoke up, saying, "We are only at the starting point."
Although Mohammed will not be participating in the weightlifting competition at the Olympics this week, he remains determined and sees this setback as just another challenge to overcome.
The brothers have moved to Bahrain and are still practicing five days a week, with their sights set on the upcoming summer Olympics.
"We are hosting the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles," Mohammed stated confidently. "We are determined to return even stronger than ever."
