The AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar has brought the entire Arab world together. Songs from all around the gulf, beats of the Darbuka and the claps of hundreds ring around Souq Waqif every evening.
But another part of the Middle East lay silent, ravaged by war, the air, heavy with wails of mothers and widows of Palestine. Israel, according to Palestinian health officials, was storming into hospitals and, in certain cases, preventing injured people from receiving treatment.
For the ones who survive, ‘catastrophic hunger’ awaits, according to the United Nations.
Thousands of miles away from home, members of its football team can only pray and spread the need for peace in Palestine through football.
“We are scared for them. They are among the victims, the people of my house. But Inshallah, we will see good times soon and save the people,” Mohammed Saleh, a defender of the Palestinian national team said.
Israel and Hamas have been at war for close to four months now. According to Oxfam, Palestinians are being killed at an average rate of 250 people a day, which is more than the daily death toll of any other major conflict in the 21st century.
Gaza mon amour
Saleh is one of the few members of the team from Gaza, the area worst affected by the war between Hamas and Israel, which has already claimed over 25,000 lives.
In December last year, Yarmouk Stadium, where Saleh learnt to play football as a toddler, was razed by the Israeli army. What remained was an open field, with hundreds of men and a few children tied and stripped to their underwear.
“I am from Gaza, in Rimal. My family is from there. A few days ago, they bombed my uncle’s house and my cousins were injured. They (my family) then moved to my friend’s house, and then to my mother’s house and now fortunately, they are in the south now,” Saleh said.
“May God save them and take them into his arms so that we can be victorious.”
“My cousins were killed today, like 30 minutes ago,” Mahmoud Wadi, another Palestine international, told Al Jazeera before the first game. “It’s difficult to say how I feel right now. But we have to do something for the people back home.”
The prayers and determination of players finally bore fruits on Tuesday when the Lions of Canaan thrashed Hong Kong to register their first-ever win in the tournament and also qualified for the round of 16 for the first time.
Oday Dabbagh’s brace and Zaid Qunbar’s goal secured a 3-0 win for Palestine in its third and last group-stage match at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Saleh, who played every minute of that game, could not hold back his emotions.
Palestine’s Mohammed Saleh reacts after the game against Hong Kong. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
As his teammates hugged each other to celebrate, he went down on his knees, weeping profusely and then stood up to show a writing on his hand that read “110”, the number of days Gaza has been at war.
“When I hear about the war, I remember all the moments when I was in Gaza. Even when the war was over, 30 years ago, all the 30 years that I spent in Gaza,” he told reporters with his voice breaking.
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“Everyone needs freedom, everyone has a human right. We will continue to support the Palestinian army, and we will continue to support the Palestinians. We will pray for the next generation, Inshallah, I hope the schools will soon re-open.”
Pursuit of peace through football
In 1993, Fuad Muzurovic’s FK Sarajevo escaped snipers and border patrol to play friendlies around the world, fighting for peace during the Bosnian war.
The team played 54 matches in 17 countries to spread awareness around the world about the war. Instead of taking up arms, this was their way of fighting, replying to guns and bullets with love for the beautiful game.
“This is your way of fighting. This is the best way to present your young state to the world,” the then-Iranian president Akbar Rafsanjani had said.
Palestine looks to tread the same path. And interestingly, its first opponent in the Asian Cup was also Iran. Though the team lost its first game 4-1, off the field, Iranian fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Palestine.
An Iran supporter holds up a sign in solidarity with Palestine from the stands. | Photo Credit: AFP
So much so that they sang and danced on ‘Dammi Falastini’, the unofficial anthem of Palestine, during the match, at the Education City Stadium.
And there were thousands with the same emotion even in their second game, against the United Arab Emirates. Palestine drew that match 1-1, which felt like a win for the fans and the players.
“I am from Qatar but my parents are from Palestine,” an 11-year-old kid told Sportstar outside the stadium, “I feel the war should end because why should people die like that?”
“Why should people die like that?” asked the kid with a Palestine flag, who had come to support his team in Qatar. | Photo Credit: Neeladri Bhattacharjee
The host, too, offered a shoulder to Palestine during the opening ceremony. Qatar’s captain Musab Al-Battat to take the oath of the tournament. Before taking the oath, Al-Battat also talked of peace as 80,000 people watched him live at the Lusail Stadium.
A win for the people
Football for Palestine took a stop immediately after the war began in October last year. It withdrew from the King’s Cup and was forced to play its FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers away from home, in Kuwait.
Palestine’s Zeid Qunbar celebrates scoring against Hong Kong. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Though it did not win any of its matches there, the determination to play for the country’s people in times of war inspired the boys to a historic win in the AFC Asian Cup.
“The dressing room is always intense. I would say, it always wants to win. And the main reason is not for us, it’s for Palestine, for the sake of people at home, for people who have passed away, people who’ve lost their homes,” Rashid Mohammed, a defensive midfielder, told Sportstar.
“This is what we’re here for. We play for them.”
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