In a scene that will live long in the memory of Palestinian football, three Palestinian players and their coach deliver exceptional performances in the 2025 Arab Cup. At the same time, their families in Gaza endure harsh realities: tents without heating, muddy roads, water carried on their shoulders, and power cuts lasting for days on end. This is all thanks to Israel’s ongoing genocide.

Heartbreak versus sporting triumph

This contrast between sporting triumph at the Arab Cup and daily suffering reflects the essence of Palestinian resilience: hope springing from the heart of suffering, and an unbreakable spirit.

Hamed Hamdan – The heartbeat of Al-Maghazi camp

Midfielder Hamed Hamdan puts on spectacular performances on the pitch at the Arab Cup, with every step he takes carrying a message for Al-Maghazi camp, where his family lives in a tent that withstands the wind and rain. Away from the spotlight, the camp’s residents face a harsh winter and days spent by candlelight, but Hamed transforms this reality into energy and creativity on the pitch, embodying the dream of an entire people.

Mohammed Saleh – The Steadfastness of Jabalia

Mohammed Saleh, the ‘quiet defender’ from Jabalia camp, reflects all the collisions on the pitch and the steadfastness of life in the camp. Amidst the ruined houses and dilapidated tents, and the daily struggle to obtain water and electricity, Mohammed runs as if he carries on his shoulders the hopes of every child waiting for lost warmth, and makes every defensive intervention a tribute to Palestinian resilience.

Khaled Al-Nabris – Khan Yunis’ talent that defies circumstances

Behind Khaled Al-Nabris’s attacking performance during the Arab Cup stands Khan Yunis in its pain: mothers watching over children shivering in dilapidated tents, women carrying water for long distances, and bone-chilling cold. Every touch and every pass from Khaled is not just a ball, but a message of hope and resilience to the people of Gaza who live the same reality.

Ihab Abu Jazar – Leadership with a patriotic spirit

The national team coach, a native of Khan Yunis, leads the team with one eye on the pitch at the Arab Cup and one on his city. He sees his players as the sons of their cities and camps, and turns every goal and every success into a window of hope for the families of Gaza. His calmness, experience and deep attachment to Gaza give the players the feeling that they are not just playing for championship points, but for the heart of an entire homeland.

A message from the pitch to the camp in the Arab Cup

The brilliance of these players, along with coach Ihab Abu Jazar, is not just a sporting achievement at the Arab Cup, but a powerful humanitarian message: in Gaza, there are those who play under the spotlight, and there are those who wait for warmth under tents, and between them lies the homeland, with its resilience, dreams and tears.

Here, football becomes a bridge between pain and hope, between reality and imagination, between sport and humanity. This is what we are witnessing at the Arab Cup.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.