Palestinian FA reveals World Cup qualifying team with stark video from war-torn Gaza

Egypt Independent

25-03-2025

CNN —
In the world of modern soccer, it's not just the action on the field that pulls at the heart strings. The content creators in the teams' media departments know that skillfully crafted video clips can heighten the emotional investment and engagement of the fans.
The video of the Palestinian team selection for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq is one of the starkest examples of this trend. Set amongst the rubble in Gaza, it depicts young fans who are finding pictures of their national team's players on the beach, amid the wreckage of their urban environment, in street markets and inside a tented classroom.
A canvas image of defender Musab Battat is found on the rocks by the coast, forward Oday Dabbagh is picked up in the rubble and center-back Milad Termanini is found among the jerry cans at a makeshift water distribution center.
Juxtaposed with the shots of the children cheerfully collecting these portraits are the scenes of the utter devastation wrought by the war between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces, which the United Nations says has claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Palestinians. Israel launched its military assault on Gaza after the militant group Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others on October 7, 2023.
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The emotions depicted are positive, even joyful at times, as the children gather all of the images together to complete the 26-man squad, hanging them from a rusty goalframe where they are playing.
The Palestine Football Association told CNN Sports that 408 athletes have been killed in the conflict: players and officials and the majority children, including 270 soccer players. Vice President Susan Shalabi said that the filming was risky but necessary.
'I can tell you it was extremely dangerous,' she recalled to CNN, 'but it needed to be done. If the team can put a smile on the face of a child in Gaza, then it was worth it. (The children) you see in the video wanted to shoot it because they still have hope. It is for them, first and foremost.'
Shalabi said that the Palestine FA's offices in Gaza have been either destroyed or severely damaged, what remains are now being used to accommodate families who have lost their homes.
In the buildup to the European Football Championships in 2024, England revealed their selected players with a heartwarming video depicting their names on tea cups, shirts and posters. The tone of the film was a love letter to the working-class roots of the game. The Spanish team, who beat England in the tournament's final, filmed their players' families announcing their inclusion in the squad.
Set amidst the clearly harrowing conditions in Gaza, the Palestine FA video shows civilians making the best of their situation and the messaging is about more than just the names on a team sheet.
'In spite of the genocide our people are subjected to in Gaza,' Shalabi told CNN, 'the will to live as a nation remains. The national team has become a symbol of our national aspirations, of the longing to live in peace like other nations under the sun.'
Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 75% of all United Nations members, but it is a non-member observer state of the UN General Assembly as the United States has consistently blocked full UN membership. As a football team though, Palestine has been recognized by the sport's world governing body FIFA since 1998. They have played in the last three Asian Cup tournaments, but have yet to qualify for the World Cup.
But this team aspires to more than just an appearance in the tournament, and their video reflects that. When asked to explain its underlying message, Shalabi said that it could be open to interpretation, but she did offer her own perspective.
'What is happening in Palestine, particularly Gaza, haunts us all,' she lamented. 'We are enduring an occupation that seeks to erase us as a people and a nation. Yet like the legendary Canaanite phoenix, we rise from the ashes, resilient, deeply rooted in this land and undeniably alive.'
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify that the Palestinian FA reports that 408 Palestinian athletes have been killed, including 270 soccer players.