Mohammed Hamada

Mohammed Khamis Haidar Hamada is a Palestinian weightlifter from Gaza. He was the first Palestinian to compete in the sport at the Olympics.

Career

Hamada participated in the Weightlifting at the [2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification|men's 96-kilogram event] at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first-ever weightlifter from Palestine to compete at the Olympics. He finished 13th.
Hamada left Gaza several weeks before the Olympics to avoid traveling issues, having secured his place after participating in six international qualifying contests since 2019. His brother Hussam is the Palestinian national weightlifting team coach.
He was the List of [flag bearers for Palestine at the Olympics|flag bearer] of Palestine's Olympic National Team during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
In 2022, Hamada won gold and bronze in the IWF Weightlifting Junior World Championships held in Heraklion, Greece.
In 2024, Hamada injured his knee and lost around carrying water during the ongoing Gaza war and Gaza genocide. He thus failed to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. A documentary film chronicles his journey during the Gaza genocide, which included having to eat animal feed to survive.