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Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Eyad Azzam says he was a “tricked” child before Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed his closest relatives, leaving him alone to care for his elderly grandmother.
Muhammad was at home in the morning of October 11, 2024, with his parents and siblings in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, when an Israeli warplane struck without warning, his family’s tower block collapsed on top of them.
“I was safe with my parents and two brothers… I was buried under the rubble for about 10 minutes,” Mohammed told Al Jazeera. “It was absolute torture.”
Mohammed’s grandfather managed to dig him out of the rubble of the building, and the next thing he remembers is waking up in his neighbor’s house on a ventilator. He said: “I survived by a miracle.”
Constant Israeli bombings meant that Mohammed was unable to give his parents and siblings a proper burial in a cemetery, so instead he buried his parents and siblings in a small, temporary burial ground.
Overnight, the young man was inspired to become an adult, and now living among thousands of refugees in Shati, northern Gaza, he spends his days lighting fires and carrying heavy containers of water to his grandfather.
He said: “My life changed from happiness to sadness.
Amidst all the challenges, Mohammed has found one way to escape from his daily struggles: football.
Health system
Before the war, Mohammed was a reliable player for Khadamat Jabalia’s football team. However, after Israel’s terrorist war in Gaza, the group was no longer active, the grounds were destroyed, and many of its former comrades were killed.
However, against all odds, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in the near future organized a competition for players born in 2009 in the only place left in Gaza suitable for hosting football matches.
For Mohammed, lifting his boots is one of the few ways he can avoid the despair of life without his parents and siblings, but the words still remind him of what he lost before Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
“It removes boredom and frees our negative energy,” he said.
“Many of my teammates have brothers and fathers there to inspire and encourage them. I don’t have anyone to cheer me on now, I miss them so much – like the sea and the fish.”
The destruction of Palestinian sports
Mohammed’s heartbreak is a sign of Israel’s systematic breakdown of football in Gaza, according to Mustafa Siyam, head of the Palestinian Football Association’s media department in the southern regions of the region.
“Mohammed is one of thousands of talented children whose families, clubs, schools, and education have been lost,” Siyam told Al Jazeera.
The numbers are amazing. According to the PFA, the Israeli attack has killed 1,113 people involved in the game, including more than 560 football players, coaches and officials.
In addition, 265 football stadiums have been destroyed or damaged over the past two and a half years, while all 56 football clubs in Gaza – from Beit Hanoon in the north to Rafah in the south – have been seriously affected.
Mohammed’s club, Khadamat Jabalia, was also destroyed, and the site was temporarily turned into a detention and interrogation center by the Israeli army during the Gaza offensive.
Dangerous trips to the stadium
With the main stadiums blown up or turned into shelters for displaced families, the PFA is now organizing youth games at the three remaining smaller stadiums – Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Khadamat Nuseirat and Ittihad Shabab Deir al-Balah – but getting to the games is still a big problem for young footballers.
“We walk 3-4km through tents and garbage to reach the land,” said Mohammed. “It messes with your mind before you even get on the field.”
Siyam acknowledges the serious threats young people face when they travel to their home country to play, but says their bravery and love for the sport means football will never end in Gaza.
“The security situation is still very dangerous. A player walking from his tent to the field is at risk of a sudden explosion, but the determination of the players and the team forces us to resume work,” he said. “It sends a message to the world that Palestinian youth can rise from the rubble.”
‘Double standards’
While the football community in Gaza is struggling to survive, Palestinian sports officials have expressed deep frustration with the international community, especially the sport’s governing body FIFA, due to the lack of support or cooperation.
Siam also highlighted the positives as FIFA moved quickly to suspend Russia and ban its clubs following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but took no action against Israel.
“When it comes to Palestine, unfortunately, there are no decisions; FIFA’s position is very weak,” he said.
Despite attempts to kill famous players, such as national team player Suleiman Obaid, and Israeli clubs competing for occupied Palestinian territories, FIFA has failed to impose any sanctions on the Israel Football Association.
With no action from FIFA, the PFA is now seeking justice through the International Court of Justice.
Honoring the dream
As the PFA waits for a permanent suspension to rebuild the football facilities battered in Gaza and for Israel to open the enclave’s borders to allow local talent to join Palestinian national teams, young players like Mohammed are sticking to the game to keep their loved ones out of memory.
“I never thought I would get to where I am by myself,” Mohammed added, saying that getting into the dirt helps keep his father’s legacy alive.
“My dream now is to become a famous, professional footballer,” the 16-year-old said softly. “That’s why it was my dream, and it was the dream of my mother and my father, may God have mercy on them.
