The Original Gaza Sunbird
Alaa al-Dali was an Olympic hopeful cyclist when his leg was shot to pieces by an Israeli sniper on the 30th March, 2018. Alaa was standing alone in his cycling gear, with his bike, as he watched a Great March of Return demonstration — 250 metres from the separation fence east of Rafah.

The explosive bullet resulted in Alaa having his leg amputated from the knee downwards. He thought his cycling dream was over.

Alaa was standing alone in his cycling gear, with his bike, as he watched a March of Return demonstration, 250 metres from the separation fence east of Rafah.

“The bullet [was] like a small grenade. It almost disintegrated the bone of my leg, 22cm of it. The muscle, arteries and veins were totally damaged. The doctor said he has never seen anything like it,” Alaa says, “I needed to make a choice; either the amputation or losing my life. After thinking a lot, I gave my consent to cut the leg. It was a very hard decision to make.” Quote taken from an Al Jazeera article which you can read in full here.

After a period of grief and recovery, Alaa channelled his energies into establishing an amputee cycling team within Gaza, naming it the Gaza Sunbirds in reference to their dream to fly free beyond their borders. 

Before the war broke out in October 2023, twenty para-athletes had begun training, hoping that one day, Alaa and his teammates could leave Gaza and qualify for the Paralympics. Thanks to previous support, Amos worked with the Sunbirds to provide training equipment, nutrition, and coaching for these athletes.

Gaza Sunbirds and food aid missions

Since the Hamas attack on 7th October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the Sunbirds have been carrying out vital food aid distributions to their communities, delivering over 7,000 hot meals and providing shelter for over 200 people.

The Sunbirds began videoing their aid ‘missions’ and showing them on social media to thousands of followers to document the war, raising awareness and providing a glimmer of hope during a time of darkness. Since then, thousands of riders around the world have been cycling regularly in support of the Sunbirds through initiatives like the Big Ride for Palestine and the Great Ride of Return. 

When the Israelis invaded Rafah in April 2024, the majority of the Sunbirds and their families were displaced to the central Gaza camps in al Mawasi, and then again — as with the entire population, they had to move from one so-called ‘safe zone’ to another.

Since then, the Sunbirds have been working with local partners to continue distributing food aid to their communities, though this has become increasingly challenging. Recently, they have started holding pizza and popcorn parties every Friday for the children and young people in displacement camps.

The Original Sunbird: Alaa al-Dali (in the white jersey), Gazan para-cyclist. Still from ‘Cycling Under Siege in Gaza’ [Flavia Cappellini/Al Jazeera English].
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Representing Palestine on the world stage  

In April 2024, before the Rafah crossing was completely closed, we finally got permission for Alaa, the original Sunbird, to leave Gaza and travel to Egypt in an attempt to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

Alaa competed in the World Cup qualifying rounds in Belgium, Italy and Kazakhstan. He hoped this would give him a wildcard, but unfortunately, he couldn’t qualify in time. However, his dream did not die, as he had qualified for the 2024 UCI Cycling Road and Para World Championships in Zurich, one of the most high-profile cycling events after the Tour de France.

In Zurich, Alaa made a historic debut and competed in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) and the Road Race, becoming the first-ever rider to represent Palestine on the global stage!

You can read more about the Gaza Sunbirds’s time in Zurich or watch the video below.

How can you help?
There are two options to continue to help Alaa and the Gaza Sunbirds on their journey:

1. You can make a one-off donation which will go towards supporting the Sunbirds to continue representing Palestine on a world stage and supporting the team in Gaza so they can continue providing food aid to their communities.
   
   
2. You can become a committed giver and join the Sunbirds support crew. 

Stay in touch 

Follow the Gaza Sunbirds on Instagram or visit the Gaza Sunbirds website. If you would like to fundraise for the Gaza Sunbirds, please contact [email protected]