Gaza Youths Find Hope in Soccer Amid War-Torn Chaos

In the midst of devastating Israeli bombardment, Palestinian youths in Gaza find a rare distraction by playing soccer in school shelters. With demolished sports facilities, they play with old balls, seeking a sense of accomplishment amidst the chaos. The spirit of athletes remains unbroken even as the death toll continues to rise.

Inspired by the Olympics worlds away in Paris, Palestinian youths played soccer at a school sheltering the displaced in Gaza— a rare distraction from devastating Israeli bombardment. With the world's gaze on competitions in France, there is no glory or prize for the winning team in Gaza, decimated by an Israeli offensive following a Hamas raid on Oct. 7.

The players found their trophy—a small sense of accomplishment amidst the chaos—under the rubble. This highlighted Gaza's long road to recovery from the bloodshed. 'The whole world is watching the Olympics and excited about it. I wish for the world to look at us in Gaza,' said Abu Seif, one of the organizers of the Gaza soccer games.

Gaza, plagued by poor sports facilities, has seen even those destroyed by war. The death toll exceeds 39,000 according to Gaza authorities, but athletes' spirits remain unbroken. 'We try to hold sports activities to change the grim reality and entertain people,' said Mustafa Abu Hashish, a tournament participant.

The world's focus has been on Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people. Amid bombings, Palestinians face a humanitarian crisis with food, fuel, water, and medicine shortages. Gaza's 2.3 million residents live in one of the world's most densely populated areas with no place to hide from airstrikes.

Israeli airstrikes continue to target Gaza. On July 10, an Israeli missile hit a tent encampment where displaced people gathered to watch a football match, according to eyewitnesses. Israel claims to avoid killing civilians. (Writing by Catherine Cartier; editing by Michael Georgy, William Maclean)

(With inputs from agencies.)