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'Babies dying every day': Emotional Ons Jabeur on Gaza's plight

Tunisian tennis star pledges to donate part of her WTA Finals prize money to help Palestinians

Jon Turner

November 02, 2023

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Ons Jabeur has pledged to donate part of her prize money from the WTA Finals to Palestinian aid as the Tunisian tennis star broke down in tears while calling for peace.

Jabeur, seeded sixth, earned her first win at the season-finale tournament in Cancun, Mexico by claiming a measure of revenge against Marketa Vondrousova, defeating the Wimbledon champion 6-4, 6-3 to keep alive her hopes of advancing to the semi-finals.

The world No 7 had lost her previous three matches against the Czech this year – at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, before most notably in the Wimbledon final.

However, tennis was far from Jabeur’s mind when she gave an emotional on-court interview following Wednesday night’s match.

Since Israel began its air strikes and incursions on Gaza, in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants which killed about 1,400 Israelis and led to the kidnapping of about 240 people, more than 9,000 Palestinians, including 3,760 children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israel-Gaza war has also led to a worsening humanitarian crisis, with people in Gaza denied access to basic essentials including water, food, electricity, and medical supplies.

Jabeur, one of the most prominent Arab athletes in all of sports, made an emotional plea and said part of her winnings would be donated to help Palestinian civilians.

“I’m very happy with the win but I haven’t been very happy lately, to be honest with you. The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy, so I feel like …” Jabeur, 29, said before breaking down in tears.

“It’s very tough seeing children, babies, dying every day. It’s heartbreaking, so I have decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. I can’t be happy just with this win with what’s happening.

“I’m sorry guys, this is supposed to be about tennis but it's very frustrating looking at videos every day … I’m sorry, it’s not a political message, it’s humanity. I want peace in this world, that's it.”

In her press conference after the match, Jabeur again addressed the issue and said it has been difficult to focus on tennis.

“I try to stay off social media as much as I can, but it's very tough,” Jabeur said. “You go through videos, photos, they're horrible, horrible photos every day. It doesn't help me sleep or recover very well and the worst thing is I feel hopeless. I feel like I cannot do anything. I wish I could have a magic hand and just end all this and just peace for everybody.

“But it is frustrating, and maybe donating some money would help a little bit with what they have been going through. But I know money doesn't mean anything right now to them. So I wish freedom for everybody and really peace for everyone.”

Jabeur has previously spoken out against the war when she posted a message on Instagram calling for peace, denouncing all attacks on innocent civilians, and shedding light on the suffering of Palestinians.

As a response, the Israeli Tennis Association filed a complaint against Jabeur to the ITF and WTA.

“What I wrote in my post on Instagram is what I support, and the biggest thing I believe in is peace,” Jabeur told The National ahead of the WTA Tour Finals. “I’m very sad for the innocent people that are getting killed every day and I wish the world would react and end this war.

“They filed the complaint to the WTA and I’m aware of it, they told me about it. But I didn’t say anything wrong. I just shared my opinion and I stayed within the rules. I actually was surprised they complained about it. I don’t even know why. My message was really peaceful.”

Jabeur returns to the court on Friday to face Iga Swiatek in her final round-robin group match and will need to beat the second seed to advance to the semi-finals.

  • A girl is rescued from the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. AP Photo
    A girl is rescued from the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. AP Photo
  • An Apache helicopter fires flares, seen from Sderot in southern Israel, close to the border with Gaza. Reuters
    An Apache helicopter fires flares, seen from Sderot in southern Israel, close to the border with Gaza. Reuters
  • Palestinians plug their phones into portable charging stations on a street in Khan Younis, Gaza. Bloomberg
    Palestinians plug their phones into portable charging stations on a street in Khan Younis, Gaza. Bloomberg
  • Residents search survivors among the rubble following Israeli strikes on Jabalia, northern Gaza. EPA
    Residents search survivors among the rubble following Israeli strikes on Jabalia, northern Gaza. EPA
  • Palestinians search for survivors and bodies following Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. AP
    Palestinians search for survivors and bodies following Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. AP
  • Palestinians look for survivors among the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. AP
    Palestinians look for survivors among the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. AP
  • Palestinians look for survivors among the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. AP
    Palestinians look for survivors among the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. AP
  • A fire burns in western Gaza after an Israeli air strike. Reuters
    A fire burns in western Gaza after an Israeli air strike. Reuters
  • Missiles are fired from Israel towards the Gaza Strip. Getty Images
    Missiles are fired from Israel towards the Gaza Strip. Getty Images
  • Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza. Getty Images
    Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza. Getty Images
  • A group of men survey the destruction following air strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city, as Israeli forces entered the northern area of the Gaza Strip. AFP
    A group of men survey the destruction following air strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city, as Israeli forces entered the northern area of the Gaza Strip. AFP
  • A man drives a damaged car following air strikes on Gaza city. AFP
    A man drives a damaged car following air strikes on Gaza city. AFP
  • A man pushes a bicycle past the remains of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    A man pushes a bicycle past the remains of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • A woman and children walk past a house destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    A woman and children walk past a house destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • People dig through the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    People dig through the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • A man drives a damaged car past a building destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    A man drives a damaged car past a building destroyed in Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • People gather amid the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    People gather amid the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • Wrecked vehicles and rubble on the streets following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
    Wrecked vehicles and rubble on the streets following Israeli strikes on Al Shatee camp in Gaza city. AFP
  • Smoke rises from the northern Gaza Strip as Israeli air and ground forces amplified their military activities against Hamas. EPA
    Smoke rises from the northern Gaza Strip as Israeli air and ground forces amplified their military activities against Hamas. EPA
  • An Israeli Apache attack helicopter flies close to the border with the Gaza Strip, near Israel's southern city of Ashkelon. AFP
    An Israeli Apache attack helicopter flies close to the border with the Gaza Strip, near Israel's southern city of Ashkelon. AFP
  • Israeli soldiers in an armoured personnel carrier on patrol near Israel's border with Gaza. EPA
    Israeli soldiers in an armoured personnel carrier on patrol near Israel's border with Gaza. EPA
  • The crew of an Israeli tank prepare for ground operations near the border with Gaza. EPA
    The crew of an Israeli tank prepare for ground operations near the border with Gaza. EPA
  • Israeli soldiers prepare for ground manoeuvres at an undisclosed location in Israel near the border with Gaza. EPA
    Israeli soldiers prepare for ground manoeuvres at an undisclosed location in Israel near the border with Gaza. EPA
  • The ruins of northern Gaza seen from Sderot in southern Israel. EPA
    The ruins of northern Gaza seen from Sderot in southern Israel. EPA
  • Smoke and explosions caused by Israeli bombardment over northern Gaza. AP Photo
    Smoke and explosions caused by Israeli bombardment over northern Gaza. AP Photo
  • An explosion on the Israel-Gaza border. Reuters
    An explosion on the Israel-Gaza border. Reuters
  • A video grab shows fireballs and smoke rising above Gaza city following an Israeli attack. AFP
    A video grab shows fireballs and smoke rising above Gaza city following an Israeli attack. AFP
  • An explosion in Gaza seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters
    An explosion in Gaza seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters
  • A video grab shows rockets fired from Gaza city. AFP
    A video grab shows rockets fired from Gaza city. AFP
  • Israeli air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip. AP Photo
    Israeli air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip. AP Photo
  • A video grab shows a salvo of rockets fired from Gaza city. AFP
    A video grab shows a salvo of rockets fired from Gaza city. AFP
  • A flare trail fired by the Israeli army east of Khan Younis on the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
    A flare trail fired by the Israeli army east of Khan Younis on the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Smoke from the bombing of the Gaza Strip over the Israeli border city of Ashkelon. AFP
    Smoke from the bombing of the Gaza Strip over the Israeli border city of Ashkelon. AFP
  • Flares over Gaza as seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters
    Flares over Gaza as seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters
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Updated: November 02, 2023, 2:49 PM
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