The Palestinian team in the Asian Cup in Qatar hopes to bring honor to their countrymen in the war-torn Gaza Strip by winning the competition for the first time since their debut in 2015.
According to Palestinian health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave, Israel has killed over 23,000 Palestinians in its three-month-long onslaught.
“The message we are here to deliver through football is that Palestine and its people want to live.” This is what we can provide,” Oday Kharoub, a midfielder, told Reuters.
The 26-man side will face Asian superpower Iran on Sunday, followed by the UAE and Hong Kong, in the hopes of advancing to the knockout round.
After a cross-border raid by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, Israeli sources reported 1,200 people were murdered, mostly civilians, and 240 were held captive and returned to Gaza.
According to Kharoub, it has been difficult for players, particularly those with family in Gaza, to concentrate on training while their eyes are riveted to the news between sessions, attentively watching what is going on back home.
“Our hearts are with them and we can only pray for them,” he added.
“The whole team is motivated by what’s happening in Palestine; it’s a difficult time for all families,” said defender Yaser Hamed. But since we’re professionals, we should keep working as hard as we have in recent weeks.”
When Israel hosted the Asian Cup in 1964, they were champions. However, amid political tensions and boycotts by Middle Eastern countries, Israel switched to European confederation UEFA in 1994.