India, Sept. 5 -- Alaa al-Dali, a construction worker in Gaza, used to be on the Palestinian national cycling team. In 2018, riding his cycle and clothed in his national team jersey, he joined a protest against Israeli forces. He was shot and had to have his right leg amputated.

Ever since, he has struggled to find employment, but he has not given up on his bicycle. He learnt how to cycle with his disability and, in 2020, joined a few other amputees, all shot by Israeli forces, to form a paracycling team called Gaza Sunbirds.

In October 2023, when the war with Israel broke out in Gaza, the Sunbirds had 50 members, some as young as 10. In 2024, al-Dali and a few other members managed to escape and find refuge in Europe. That year, he bec...