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The Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team from the Gaza Strip, made history at the 2024 UCI World Championships in Zurich when Alaa al Dali became the first rider to represent Palestine. Be part of their story — help continue their journey by supporting these inspiring athletes.
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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: The Gaza Sunbirds made history at the UCI World Championships in Zurich. Alaa al-Dali was the first rider to represent Palestine.
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