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Palestinians Find A Bit Of Hope As Their National Soccer Team Advances In Asian Cup
Soccer fans wave Palestinian flags at the AFC Asian Cup Group C soccer match between Hong Kong and the Palestinian soccer team.
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Giuseppe Cacace
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AFP via Getty Images
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TEL AVIV, Israel — There were tears of joy on the soccer field Tuesday as the Palestinian national team beat Hong Kong 3-0 in the AFC Asian Cup.
The team made history as it secured its place in the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.
The Asian Cup — hosted in Doha, Qatar, this year — is the top soccer event in the region.
The stadium erupted with joy, chanting "Palestine! Palestine!" and waving Palestinian flags and keffiyehs.
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The win is a bright spot during a difficult time as the Israel-Hamas war rages in Gaza, leading to widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis. Gaza's health ministry has said Israel's assault has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, the majority of which are women and children. It has been a reaction to the Oct. 7 attack in Israel in which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped roughly 250 others.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, coffee shops were packed with people watching the match for the first time since the beginning of the war, and the atmosphere was festive.
Players from the Palestinian soccer team celebrate their second goal at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup soccer match with Hong Kong.
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Giuseppe Cacace
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AFP via Getty Images
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Waleed Abdullah said he celebrated the win with his son at a café.
What we know so far
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Death toll and casualties
- Israeli officials report an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 people. In addition, they say about 250 people were taken hostage, some have since been released.
- Gaza health officials have reported more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
— NPR (Jan. 24)
"We were so happy and the result was incredible," he said. "The Palestinian people need hope, want something to be happy about, to feel alive, to want to love life."
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Mohamed Aweida from Jerusalem watched the match with his friends and said the win was an incredible accomplishment.
"I've had no appetite to do anything [enjoyable] lately," he said. "But this is our national team, and I had to support it."
Like around much of the Middle East, soccer is a favorite pastime among Palestinians. But it has never been easy for the team. Israeli laws have hindered the players' mobility within the country and abroad, and have made it difficult to transport equipment. Israel has also sometimes refused to issue exit visas to players based in the occupied territories.
"Preparing for the Cup has been a challenge," forward Tamer Seyam told NPR. "It was hard for us to get together [as a team], and training was suspended from the beginning of the war."
The Palestinian team will play either Qatar or Australia on Sunday.
Nuha Musleh contributed to reporting.
Understanding how we got here
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The history of this region is both complicated and fraught. Here is some context about what led up to the most recent attacks and counterattacks.
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NPR's Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin called the initial attack "one of the most dramatic escalations in violence in recent memory" adding there are "concerns the chaos could spread to the occupied West Bank and different countries in the Middle East."
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- This round of bloodshed began with a surprise attack by Palestinian fighters from Gaza into Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. On Oct. 7, militants infiltrated Israel's border using paragliders, motorbikes and boats and fired thousands of rockets toward the country from Gaza.
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NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab reported on the history of the Gaza Strip. Some key excerpts:
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- The Gaza Strip is a 25-mile-long by 6-mile-wide enclave, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east and Egypt to the south.
- Gaza is one of two Palestinian territories. The other is the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
- The strip has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt, restricting the movement of people and goods since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Israel controls its airspace and shoreline, as well as what goods can cross Gaza's borders.
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NPR's Fatma Tanis examined how we got here and what might come next in this longstanding conflict.
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For anyone looking for guidance on how to talk to children about this war:
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Here's the latest on a growing movement on college campuses nationwide, as students organize against Israel's war in Gaza.
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Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
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