Issam Khalidi
Abstract: Gaza has long been a center of sports
activity in Palestine. This essay gives a brief history of sports in Gaza,
including major sporting clubs, and Palestinian sporting connections with
international bodies. Since October 2023, athletes and sports infrastructure
have been impacted by the genocidal assault that Israel has inflicted Gaza’s
people and its built environment. In addition to the athletes and coaches who
have been killed, sports clubs and arenas have been destroyed, and stadiums
used for mass arrests and mass graves. The essay also addresses the silence by
international sporting bodies, including the Fédération Internationalede
Football Association (FIFA), with regard to the destruction of sports
infrastructure and the genocide in Gaza more generally.
Keywords: sports; genocide; youth; football;
stadiums; FIFA; Gaza.
It is not only
killings, massacres, torture and starvation that constitute genocide, but also
erasure of history and identity, and the destruction of cultural heritages.
This includes Palestinian sports, which have an integral part of Palestinian
culture for over a century. In addition to enriching Palestinian culture, sports
have been linked to the national identity of the Palestinian people and the
moral development of Palestinian youth. Participation in sports has been seen
as instilling spirit of sharing, a willingness to give time and effort, a sense
of self-sacrifice, a commitment to moral values of fairness and discipline, and
a love for their homeland, Palestine. Further, sport has served an important
role, to strengthen bonds among Palestinian youth. Palestinian sports culture
is diverse and intertwined with other cultural dimensions, as well as economics,
politics, and the social world of Palestinians. Palestinian conditions have
been unfavorable to the development of sports for a long time. And at the same
time, sports, acting as soft power, have played an important role in the
Palestinian political landscape during the last few decades. For decades,
Palestinian sports have been a nightmare for Israel because of their
affirmation of Palestinian presence, as sports clubs use the name of Palestine,
the Palestinian flag, and the Palestinian people, and athletes compete on their
behalf.
Sports in Gaza’s
Modern History
Sports flourished in
Gaza since the 1920s. In March1927, the Jaffa-based newspaper Filastin
reported about a soccer
game between the Orthodox Youth Club in Jaffa and the Gazan Youth Club, among
the first athletic clubs established in Palestine: “What happened in Gaza
recently was one of the most striking manifestations of this [sports] renaissance.
Their patriotic spirit and affinity were evident during and after the game.” [[1] In
1934, the Gaza Sports Club was founded. Other clubs were later formed in Gaza
and Khan Yunis during the 1940s.
The
center of gravity of Palestinian sports moved from Jaffa to Gaza after the
Nakba. During the period of Egyptian administration in the Gaza Strip, there
was a remarkable growth in a number of fields, including sports (which retained
its Palestinian identity during this time).[2] From
the early 1950s, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also
established service centers in Jabaliya, Rafah, Khan Yunis, al-Shati’, al-Nusayrat,
al-Burayj, and al-Maghazi, which became clubs with their own teams, participating
in local and Arab championships and playing a leading role in the development
of sports in the Strip. In 1962, the Gaza Sports Club was reestablished as the
Palestinian Sports Federation for Football. Sports activists such as Elias
Manna, Zaki Khayal, and Subhi Farah (who had been actively involved in the
sports movement from the 1930s and 1940s) formed several sports federations to
organize the majority of the games played at that time.
Palestine
took part in the first Arab Games in 1953 and the third in Morocco in 1961. In
1966, Palestine participated in the Games of Emerging New Forces (GANEFO) in
Phnom Penh. As part of the delegation, there was Zaki Khayal, a prominent
Palestinian sports leader, as well as administrators Zuhayr al-Dabbagh and
Elias Manna from the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian team was assembled, bringing
together members from inside Palestine (including the Gaza Strip) and refugees
in Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. [3]
Unfortunately, however, Palestinian sports federations were not accepted by
most international federations (with the exception of table tennis and
basketball, recognized in 1964 and 1965 respectively), based on the pretext
that there is no state named Palestine (after consulting the United Nations)
and that the Gaza Strip is governed by Egyptian administration and does not
possess an independent status under the law.[4]
Only in the 1990s did the Palestine Olympic Committee gain recognition from the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Palestine Football Association
join the Fédération Internationalede Football Association (FIFA), in 1995 and
1998 respectively.[5]
In the
late 1970s, the Gaza Strip Association of Clubs (Rabitat al-Andiya) was formed.
Gaza Strip and West Bank club associations cooperated with each other, and
several football matches were played between these two associations.[6] Even
after the Oslo accords, the Palestinian sports movement’s center of gravity remained
rooted in Gaza. Sports in Gaza were organized under the supervision of the
Supreme Council for Youth and Sport. Despite the obstacles to Palestinian
sports put in place by Israel’s occupation, the sector grew until the siege on
Gaza began in 2007. During this siege, the sports sector witnessed a decline
due to Israeli restrictions as well as the division between Fatah and Hamas. Since
2007, Israel has also targeted sports facilities, claiming they were being used
to launch missiles. Despite this, around fifty-eight sports clubs were active
in the Gaza Strip before 7 October 2023, with football teams competing in the first,
second, and third divisions of the Gaza Strip Premier League.[7]
Israel’s genocidal war has entailed significant destruction
of sports infrastructure, following a pattern established since the 1948 Nakba.
Sports facilities have been destroyed, and athletes, coaches, sports leaders,
and sports journalists have been killed. Hundreds of athletes have been killed
and dozens of sports facilities have been destroyed –some accounts are that over
70 percent of the sports facilities located in the Gaza Strip have been
destroyed –bringing about complete paralysis of all sports activities. [8]
The full extent of destruction of and disruption to the sports sector is
difficult to ascertain in conditions of ongoing genocide. However, the Supreme
Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Football Association, and
colleagues working in the sports sector in the Gaza Strip have managed to
gather some data and make informed estimates regarding the current situation.
Loss of Life
Over 410 martyrs from
the sports and scouting movements have been killed since the war began last
October. The Palestinian Football Federation indicated in August 2024 that 297child
and youth footballers have been martyred since 7 October 2023. [9] Israel
has targeted athletes in stadiums: a video clip broadcast by al-Jazeera on 10 June
showed occupation forces bombing a group of displaced people while they played
football in the yard of al- ‘Awda School in ‘Abasan al-Kabira. There are hundreds
of examples of the brutality of the occupation directed toward athletes. The martyrdom
and torture of athletes Frayj al-Hallaq, a veteran athlete and Alzheimer’s
patient, was executed by Israeli occupation forces, who left him to bleed to
death in front of al-Shifa Hospital. Nagham Abu Samra, a Palestinian karate
champion and member of the Palestinian national team, was also martyred in the
bombing of her home in al-Nusayrat camp: she succumbed to wounds sustained from
shrapnel that put her in a coma. Long-distance runner and athletic coach Majed
Abu Maraheel, who in 1996 became the first Palestinian to compete in the
Olympic Games, died of kidney failure in Gaza, unable to receive treatment as a
result of the siege and destruction of the Gazan health system.
In
Gaza, clubs mourned the loss of cadres, players, coaches, athletes, and
coaches. The Friendship (Sadaqa) Sports Club in Gaza City lost twenty members
to Israel’s bombs, and fifteen martyrs were killed when Israeli forces bombed
the Ittihad al-Shuja‘iyya Club.[10]
Arab
sports communities also expressed their support and condolences for martyred
Palestinian athletes. The Jordanian al-Wehdat Club grieved for the martyr Mohammed
Barakat, formerly of the Palestinian national soccer team, and honored Hani al-Musaddar,
a former player and assistant coach of the Palestinian Olympic soccer team,
with a special tribute last June. Before he was martyred, during the time of
intense raids and clashes in Khan Yunis, Barakat broadcast his last will and testament
by posting a video to social media platforms: "I ask for forgiveness and
prayers. My mother and father, beloved and dear to me, I entrust you to God …
These might be my last words and the last time you see me.” He then recited
verses from the holy Qur’an.[11]
Destruction of
Infrastructure
According to the
Supreme Council for Youth and Sports in Gaza, material losses relating to
sports have reached twenty million dollars or more as a result of the
destruction of stadiums and various sports facilities.[12] Airstrikes,
artillery shelling, and the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip have destroyed an
estimated fifty clubs completely. Twelve club headquarters have been razed to
the ground in the Gaza province, leaving no trace behind. Seven clubs were bulldozed
in the northern Gaza Strip and five clubs’ headquarters were directly shelled
in the central region. Six club headquarters were destroyed during the ground invasion
of Khan Yunis.[13] The
headquarters of the Gaza Sports Club and most of its facilities, including a
football field, tennis courts, and a multi-purpose indoor hall, were completely
demolished. Shelling has leveled the headquarters of the Friends Equestrian
Club as well as the Jabaliya Services Club. The Sadaqa Sports Club also paid a
heavy price, as occupation forces destroyed the club’s headquarter, the main
stadium, and the indoor hall.[14]
In addition to clubs, the
headquarters of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, the Palestinian Football
Association, and the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports have been demolished,
as have many stadiums. According to the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the
most notable stadiums destroyed in northern Gaza and Gaza City are Palestine
Stadium, Yarmuk Stadium (built in 1951), Bayt Hanun Municipal Stadium, Bayt
Lahiya Stadium, and the Gaza Sports Club.[15] Israel
also bombed the United Nations Development Program Stadium in Rafah, and the
Khan Yunis Municipal Stadium and Sports City have also been destroyed. The al-Nusayrat
Municipal Stadium and the baseball and softball stadium in al-Shati’ Camp were
similarly destroyed.
Those
stadiums that remain standing have been transformed by the assault on Gaza. The
Rafah Municipal Stadium was converted into a field hospital, and the headquarters
of the Rafah Services Club became a distribution center for humanitarian aid to
the displaced people in Rafah.[16] The
Martyr Muhammad al-Durra Stadium has become a shelter for displaced
Palestinians. In a report for al-Jazeera, Nelly al-Masry described the
stadiums, in which sports have come to an end and fans’ cheers have gone silent,
replaced by the pain and groans of the displaced, forced to leave their homes
and seek refuge in a stadium to survive.[17] Israel
has also turned stadiums in the Gaza Strip into prisons, torture centers, and
execution grounds. At the Yarmuk Stadium, dozens of civilians were forced to
undress in the open. Dirt stadiums, including one adjacent to the Indonesian
Hospital, to the north of Gaza, have been turned into mass graves.
Other Destructive
Effects
Like millions of
others of Palestinians in Gaza, athletes have also been subject to the loss of
livelihoods and homes. This war of extermination brought about a complete
cessation and paralysis of sports activities. More than six thousand players,
coaches, and sports cadres have lost their only source of income. They rely on
humanitarian aid and cannot afford food and medicine for their families. Players,
coaches and club cadres have also been denied the opportunity to represent Palestine
in recent Arab and international championships due to the war.[18] Many
athletes, like others, were forced to leave their homes and neighborhoods, some
of which were completely destroyed. In an interview with Nelly el-Masry,
footballer Mohammed Silmi, who played for Egyptian al-Ahly Club, Ittihad Shuja‘iyya,
and Ittihad Bayt Hanun, encapsulated the conditions that so many athletes in
Gaza endure:
I was forced to
flee my home in the Shuja‘iyya neighborhood in Gaza City due to the escalating
conflict. I never dreamed that I would be displaced from the place where I have
experienced the most beautiful moments of my life. This is the place where I
have scored goals and celebrated with fans. However, whenever I enter that
place, I feel distressed and suffering.
When
the war started on October 7, the [Gaza] Premier League was still in its
beginning. I played against my former team, Ittihad Shuja’iyya. I felt
heartbroken because of my old teammates, with whom I had the greatest memories
of my life. I felt a lot of sadness for them. As a consequence, all my dreams
and ambitions were destroyed, and I was affected psychologically, physically,
and spiritually.[19]
When
al-Silmi was asked about his sixth displacement with his family between Gaza
City and areas of the central governorate, he said, “I ultimately settled in al-Durra
Stadium, which is located in the middle of the Strip. My only concern at the
beginning was to provide a tent for my family. I wanted to protect my children
from the cold.”[20]
FIFA and Genocide
The Palestinian
Football Association is calling on FIFA and the International Olympic Committee
to take a strong stand and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for the genocidal
war going on in Gaza.[21] The
Palestinian Football Association sent a draft resolution to the FIFA Congress
in Bangkok on 17 May 2024 to hold Israel responsible for violations of
Palestinian sports rights and to expel it from FIFA.[22] FIFA
President Gianni Infantino, however, has rejected calls for a vote on the issue
of expelling Israel from FIFA. He claimed that a legal assessment would be
conducted as soon as the FIFA Council meets to discuss the allegations.
Initially, the meeting was supposed to take place at the end of July, but it was
then pushed to after the Paris Olympics, then to the end of August, and later rescheduled
for the end of October. By postponing the request four times, FIFA has attempted
to avoid making a fair decision in favor of the Palestinian Football
Association. FIFA has long claimed a neutral position on the Israel-Palestine “conflict,”
though it is obvious that any party that is neutral on this issue is complicit
in Israel’s extermination war on the Gaza Strip and must be held accountable
for its actions.
Both
FIFA and Israel claim that the Palestinian Football Association is exploiting
sports for political purposes. Sports and politics cannot be separated. No
other activity seems able to evoke nationalistic and patriotic feelings as
sports can. Furthermore, both FIFA and Israel use sport in politics when it
serves their interests, even as they criticize the Palestinian Football
Association when it challenges their interests. [23]
Conclusion
Will it be possible
to rebuild the destroyed and damaged sports infrastructure? And will sports in
the Gaza Strip ever be the same as it was before the deaths of more than four
hundred athletes and sports leaders, in addition to the destruction of the
infrastructure? The answers to these questions are challenging, and speculating
about the Gaza Strip’s political future is particularly difficult at this stage.
Any recovery will be tough, but not impossible. Sports may not return to their
former glory. However, as demonstrated throughout history, every time Israel
attempts to destroy the Palestinian people, their history and culture come back
stronger and more resilient than before. Among the many characteristics that
distinguish our people is their ability to weather and recover from the harsh
blows dealt to them. This is what we saw in the Gaza Strip after the Nakba.
More recently, in 2023, the Palestinian national football team reached the
second round of the Asian Cup for the first time in its history, despite the war
of extermination to which Palestinians have been subjected. It also reached the
final round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. Palestine
participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics with the largest sports delegation since
it began competing in the Olympics, and ‘Umar Yasir Hantuli qualified in taekwondo
becoming the second Palestinian ever to qualify for the Olympics through
qualification and points.
Sports
in the Gaza Strip have a long history and roots that stretch back decades,
demonstrating steadfastness against the ravages of war. Despite occupation and
the obstacles, Palestinian sports continued to grow and progress. Israel’s
destruction of Palestinian sports may inspire Palestinian athletes to compete
in the future and fight in the sports arena as means of proving themselves. Certainly,
they will work hard to achieve the success they desire. At the end of the day,
the international community’s solidarity and support, as well as the Arab
community’s support, in response to the suffering of our people in Palestine will
have a significant impact on rebuilding of the Palestinian sports movement and
its infrastructure in Palestine.
Endnotes
[1] “Hawla
haflat al-nawadi al-riyadiyya” [On the festivities of the sporting clubs], Filastin,
15 March1927, 6.
[2]
Issam Khalidi, One Hundred Years of Football in Palestine (Amman: Dar
al-Shuruq, 2013), 100–101.
[3]
Issam Khalidi, “Palestine in the International Sports Arena: 1930s–1994,”
History of Palestine Sports blog, 30 September 2021, online
atwww.hpalestinesports.net/2021/09/palestine-in-international-sports-arena.html
(accessed 18 October 2024).
[4]
Issam Khalidi, One Hundred Years, 107.
[5]
Issam Khalidi, One Hundred Years, 104.
[6] Issam Khalidi, “Sports in the West Bank 1967–1994,” History of Palestine Sports blog,
24 July 2017, online
atwww.hpalestinesports.net/2017/07/sportsin-west-bank-1967-1994.html (accessed
17 October 2024).
[7] For more info about sports in Palestine, see the History of Palestine Sports blog, online atwww.hpalestinesports.net (accessed 18 October 2024).
[8] ‘Awadal-Rajub,
“al-Riyada al-Filastiniyya … 400 shahid watadmir 70% min al-andiyawa-l-mala‘ib”
[Palestinian sports … 400 martyrs and the destruction of 70% of clubs and
stadiums],al-Jazeera, 3 August 2024, online at
www.aljazeera.net/politics/2024/8/3/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-400-%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1-70-%D9%85%D9%86
(accessed 23 October 2024).
[9] “al-Ittihad
al-Filastini li-kurat al-qadam yakshifu: 297 la‘iban istashhad mundhu bidayat
harb Ghazza” [The Palestinian football federation investigates: 297 players
martyred since the start of the Gaza war], al-‘Arabi al-Jadid, 28 August
2024, online at www.alaraby.co.uk/sport/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81297-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B0-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9(accessed
6 November 2024).
[10] Palestine Football Association, “al-Intihakat al-Isra’ili” [Israeli violations], n.d., online at
www.pfa.ps/news/israeli-violations (accessed 23 October 2024).
[11] Imane Boudjemline,
“al-Wasiya al-akhira li-la‘ib al-Filastini Muhammad Barakat qabla istishhadihi” [The last testament of the Palestinian
athlete Mohammed Barakat before his martyrdom],al-Jazeera, 14 March
2024, online at
www.aljazeera.net/news/2024/3/14/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%ae%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a9-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b7%d9%8a%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af
(accessed 23 October 2024).
[12] “al-Riyada
al-Filastiniyya takhsaru
mi’at al-shuhada’ wa-l-jarhawamu’assasat al-riyadiyya” [Palestinian sports
suffer the loss of hundreds of martyrs, wounded, and sports institutions],Ma‘an,
4 March 2024, online at www.maannews.net/news/2113094.html (accessed 23 October
2024).
[13]
Palestine Football Association, “al-Intihakat al-Isra’ili.”
[14] Palestine Football Association, “al-Intihakat al-Isra’ili.”
[15]“al-Riyada
al-Filastiniyya takhsaru
mi’at.”
[16] Palestine Football Association, “al-Intihakat al-Isra’ili.”
[17] Nelly el-Masri, “al-Mala‘ib lam tashfa‘ li-nujumiha” [The stadiums did not intervene
on behalf of their stars], al-Jazeera, 30 August 2024, online at www.aljazeera.net/blogs/2024/8/30/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A8-%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7(accessed
23 October 2024).
[18] “al-Riyada
al-Filastiniyya takhsaru mi’at.”
[19] el-Masri, “al-Mala‘ib.”
[20] el-Masri, “al-Mala‘ib.”
[21] On
the Palestinian Football Association website, Jibril Rajoub writes: “A draft
resolution has been submitted to FIFA Congress calling on Israel to be held
accountable for its violations of Palestinian sports since October 7, 2023.” See:
Issam Khalidi," 'Sports for Political Purposes’– What Can Be Expected from the
Call for FIFA to Expel Israel? Palestine Chronicle, 24 August 2024,
online at
www.palestinechronicle.com/sports-for-political-purposes-what-can-be-expected-from-the-call-for-fifa-to-expel-israel/
(accessed 23 October 2024).
[22] Martin Petty,
“FIFA Orders Legal Review of Palestinian Call to Suspend Israel,” Reuters, 17
May 2024, online at www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fifa-orders-legal-review-palestinian-call-suspend-israel-2024-05-17/
(accessed 6 November 2024).
[23] Khalidi, “Sports
for Political Purposes.” As early as the 1920s, the Beitar paramilitary
organization engaged in sports.
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