Three childhood friends reunite in a southern Gaza shelter, mustering the strength to return to the football field while lamenting all they have lost in Israel’s ongoing war.
Many displaced Palestinians, now taking refuge in southern Gaza, find solace in football despite the persistent risk of Israeli airstrikes.
The matches take place in a school stadium. The boys, most of whom are uprooted by the brutal war, divide themselves into two teams of five. The referee is sometimes an injured player, sometimes an extra player. Hassan’s nine-year-old sibling, Mohammad, nicknamed “Tota,” watches from the sidelines, rooting for his brother.Ahmed Hassan and his younger brother Mohammad, nicknamed Tota, were displaced three times since October 7 last year.
“The targeting of Palestinian sports did not begin last year,” says Khalil Jadallah, a sports commentator from the West Bank. “For decades, the occupation killed and arrested hundreds of athletes, destroyed stadiums, and raided sports headquarters on a recurrent basis.”Jadallah, a former player himself, fell in love with the game when he was watching the Palestine national team play at the ninth Arab tournament.
Still, three players from Gaza – Mahmoud Wadi, Muhammad Saleh, and Yasser Hamad – have made it to the national team.
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