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Gaza City – At a busy cafe in Gaza City, football fans gathered around a small screen, facing an empty projector, to watch the thrilling World Cup match between Spain and Saudi Arabia on Sunday night.
The crowd screamed 18-year-old Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain in the tenth minute. Three more goals from Spain followed in the next 35 minutes, securing a comfortable victory for the European football champions, much to the delight of the patrons of the Gaza cafe.
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Saudi Arabia may share a close relationship with the Palestinians, but the Spanish football team’s interest has always been in Gaza.
And yet Palestine’s support for Spain at the World Cup is not only driven by the team’s ability on the field. It was also influenced by Spain’s political and humanitarian situation during the Israeli war in Gaza, which has killed approx 73,000 Palestinians.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, Spain has been one of Europe’s biggest supporters of the people of Gaza and the biggest opponent of Israel.
Mohammad Attallah, 43, a lawyer from Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that he had followed Spanish football for years. But when war broke out and Spain’s leftist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threw his country’s aid behind Gaza, his love for La Roja, as Spain’s soccer team is known, took on a different meaning.
“We are people who love life and love football. Many people here have been following La Liga and the Spanish national team for many years, but the way Spain treated people during the war made people feel closer,” said Attallah.
A number of Spanish positions were closely linked among the Palestinian people, he said. Barcelona star Lamine Yamal’s alliance with the Palestinian people, their recognition of the State of Palestine in 2024, and Spain’s positions in the conflict – including King Felipe VI’s request for Israel to stop its “filth” in Gaza – were all revealed in Gaza City, 3,500 km2 from Madrid.
“We are proud of everyone who stood with the Palestinian people at this time. That is why many people here are supporting Spain, not only because of football, but also because of these positions,” he said.
“We expect Spain to win, and we support them a lot, but in the end, we also respect the Saudi national team,” he said with a smile.
Throughout the cafe, fans repeat Spanish politics over and over as something to support the national team. Hani Abu Rizq, 32, saw Spain’s excitement in Gaza City as a demonstration of Palestinian determination to continue living, despite the war.
Watching football is one of the few escapes from the hardships of daily life in Gaza, he said, but politics still finds its way into the beautiful sport in Gaza.
“We want to show the world that the people of Gaza love life and love sports, despite being destroyed by all the hardships,” said Abu Rizq.
“It is impossible to ignore what is supporting Palestine, whether it is the Spanish government or the athletes.”
When Yamal raised the Palestinian flag During the La Liga victory celebrations in Barcelona last month, the Palestinians saw it as a show of solidarity for Gaza sports. on fire from October 2023.
“Many footballers who used to be champions in the local league are forced to take other jobs after the stadiums were destroyed and the games stopped,” he said.
Despite this, the Palestinians in Gaza still retain their love for football. Frequent blackouts and internet blackouts have reduced the Palestinian population in Gaza, but they still find time to gather in cafes to watch football matches together.
“Major sporting events remain an opportunity for Palestinians to remind the world of their cause and their ongoing suffering, as was the case at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Palestine was prominently featured in the stands and fans,” he said.
Although for many in Gaza, football is a way to bring sorrow and frustration, Abdullah Masoud said that the match between Spain and Saudi Arabia is an opportunity for people to accept Spain’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“We in Gaza have suffered a lot because of the siege and the war. This tournament has given us the opportunity to have moments that make sense. We love football like everyone else, and at one time we hoped that Palestine would play in the World Cup,” he said.
(Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera)
“We don’t forget the positions we saw during the war, whether it was the Spanish authorities or actors like Lamine Yamal when they raised the Palestinian flag in front of the world.”
The Palestinians say their decision about who to sponsor for this World Cup has been guided by the country’s stance on the massacre in Gaza – despite the team’s opposition to the Arabs.
“We appreciate everyone who stood with the people of Gaza. They may not speak our language, but their duty to help people reached us more than any other people in the world. That’s why many here feel close to them,” said Masoud.
“Every time Palestine appears in stadiums or among our supporters, we feel that our suffering has not been forgotten and that there are people who hear our voice.”
