Israel killed another one of my teammates
Mustafa Ahmad Tafesh was a beacon of light, and modern-day Nazis took him away from us
Mustafa Ahmed Tafesh, the 21-year-old infielder and outfielder for Palestine National Baseball, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The news shattered me and our teammates; I can only imagine the pain his family and friends in Gaza are feeling.
My time with Mustafa was short but everlasting. He left an amazing impression on us from the day his new teammates met him at the Istanbul Airport in January 2023, waiting for our connecting flight to Islamabad for the West Asia Baseball Cup.
When he wasn’t asking his teammates for baseball tips, he was making us laugh with his broken English and clever one-liners in Arabic. He was the glue that brought the diaspora players and the homegrown players together. His personality was so inviting, even newer players who never met him in person developed relationships with him through social media.
Mustafa was a part of the inaugural men’s team that participated in the first baseball game and tournament in Palestine’s history. In 2023, Palestine secured second place at the West Asia Cup after losing to Pakistan in the finals.
He didn’t play much, but it didn’t affect his demeanor on and off the field. While a lot of players stressed about playing time, Mustafa cracked jokes and reminded us how to have fun.
Still, he wanted to get better and earn a full-time spot on the roster. He promised to go back to Gaza and train himself and others using the skills taught to him by his teammates from the diaspora. Despite living in an open-air prison since he was born, Mustafa was determined to make the most of his life.
He was scheduled to participate with the team at the Asian Baseball Championship in Taiwan in December 2023, but he couldn’t leave the strip because the genocide in Gaza was ongoing for two months. Mustafa missed three potential tournaments because of Israel’s occupation, war, and blockade. He missed the Arab Class in Dubai and the following West Asia Baseball Cup in Iran, which Palestine won.
Mustafa was killed by Israel when an airstrike struck near where he and a few friends were hanging out, according to Mahmoud Tafesh, Mustafa’s uncle and the founder of the Palestine Baseball & Softball Federation. Although my friend and teammate was martyred at the hands of a bomb, he was simultaneously being starved to death by Israel. Recent photos of Mustafa made his weight loss extremely apparent.
The last time I spoke with Mustafa was over FaceTime with our fellow teammate, Zaki Haj. We laughed and spoke of our dreams to play in Palestine together and develop the game and players back home.
My teammates and I are dedicated to seeing that dream through.
To Allah we belong and to him we return.
