Palestine’s para-cycling team should be training for the Paris Paralympics right now. Instead, they’re navigating blast craters, rubble and unexploded bombs as they deliver vital aid to Gaza’s embattled populace.
As their co-founder and international co-ordinator, Bermondsey resident Karim Ali is responsible for telling the Gaza Sunbirds’ story to the world. He masterminded the Bermondsey Community Support Network when Covid-19 struck. So when images of his homeland’s devastation hit the airwaves after October 7, he knew he could help.
The Gaza Sunbirds’ Paralympic dreams have taken a backseat. Since the invasion began, 20 volunteers have handed out over $100,000 worth of food, hot meals, nappies and sanitary products to desperate families.
Karim explains that bikes are useful in a place where fuel is scarce. They are also well-suited to an environment where Karim says citizens can be targeted.
The 24-year-old said: “They don’t make a lot of noise. It’s relatively secure. There have been a few people shot on bikes but if you’re a militant you’re probably not going to be riding a bike. It would be absurd.”
The Sunbirds, many of whom claim they were maimed by Israeli aggression, are struggling with the loss of family members. Karim says, at times, their disabilities can also make the work difficult.
“You have to carry bags at the end of the day and you have to do it one leg,” Karim says. “It’s really exhausting and it’s quite dangerous for somebody with a disability. The roads are battered.”
The son of two Palestinians, Karim grew up in the United Arab Emirates and came to the UK seven years ago as a student at King’s College London. He “loves” Bermondsey which he says is “home”.
He became aware of the para-athletes while helping to translate a documentary for disabled cycling champ Alaa Al-Dali whose leg was reportedly shot to pieces by an Israeli sniper.
Bankrolled by fundraising activities, the 20 athletes have been getting supplies in an ad-hoc way, sometimes buying from supermarkets that are left standing and often relying on aid organisations. However, the difficulty of getting aid into Gaza has been well-documented.
They haven’t given up hope of Paris and adding to Palestine’s three Paralympic medals since Sidney 2000. But even if a lull in the fighting allows them to leave, obtaining foreign visas in Palestine, which is closed off to the world both figuratively and literally, is hugely difficult.
Karim says: “When you understand how many barriers need to be lifted for a person to compete, that journey of getting to a race is like a form of liberation.”
The Gaza Sunbirds organises bike rides through Southwark and on to Westminster twice a month to raise awareness of their work. Donate to the emergency appeal, join or organise a Great Ride of Return in your city or sign up to Athletes for Palestine here www.gazasunbirds.org