Palestinian team says it will 'play until its last breath' in Arab Cup

At a time when death has been stealing Gaza’s breath for two years of unrelenting war, the Palestinian national football team stands ready to compete in the Arab Cup with heavy hearts and shoulders carrying more than just their team jerseys. They hold an entire homeland, living under fire and seeking respite and a glimmer of hope in football.

Amidst the tents of displacement and the rubble of destroyed homes, and from the silence of Palestinian stadiums that have been shut down by war, the team emerges to remind the world that Palestine is not just breaking news, but a people who want to live and play.

Abu Jazar: ‘we are playing the opening match against Qatar with the pain of Gaza in our hearts’

During the press conference ahead of the Arab Cup opening match against Qatar, the team’s technical director, Ihab Abu Jazar, spoke not only as a coach but as a Palestinian who has experienced the most painful details. He says sincerely, reflecting the sentiments of the Gazans:

We are happy to be in the Arab Cup. This is an important milestone for our people, even more so than for the football team. We will play until our last breath. This is our people’s right.

Although the road was paved with difficulties, the team managed to overcome Libya in the play-offs to secure its place in the tournament, before finding itself in a ‘world-class’ group, which includes two teams that qualified for the World Cup It begins its Arab Cup journey with an opening match against the Asian champions, Qatar.

Abu Jazar said:

The task is difficult, yes, but we are holding on to our chances and we trust our players. We have some significant absences, but we have a spirit that never fades.

Palestine has no league, but its spirit is bigger than the pitch

Since the start of Israel’s genocide, the Palestinian league has been suspended and players have been scattered between the inside and outside, but the technical staff has found a way to fight on another front: expanding the roster and bringing in 18 new players to compensate for the absence of influential players, foremost among them Wissam Abu Ali.

Abu Jazar explained at the Arab Cup press conference:

Expanding the roster is a necessity. We don’t have a local league, so we are looking to quickly build chemistry. We have young players, but they have the spirit of Palestine.

He pointed out that the short training periods for the new players are not ideal, but they are sufficient to establish a new team formation:

We reached our peak performance in the qualifiers, and we want to continue. Despite everything, the team will look different.

The Arab Cup awaits

The Palestinian coach praised the supportive Arab position, particularly in allowing Palestinian players to be registered as ‘local players’ in the leagues, which has preserved the careers of a number of players during the suspension of activity in their homeland.

He says:

We thank all the Arab federations that helped our players. In the shadow of war, these positions were a real support.

The Palestinian team is not playing for points in the Arab Cup, nor is it just looking for a second place or a sporting achievement. It is entering the Arab Cup to tell the world:

We are here… despite the destruction, despite the siege, despite the war.

The players carry images of Gaza in their hearts, scenes of children in camps, the faces of mothers waiting for good news, not bad news.

Abu Jazar concluded by saying:

Palestine has a great legacy of struggle… and we are on a national mission. We want to make our people happy, and we feel proud to carry our country’s flag.

Its players run on the pitch as if they were running on the land of a stolen homeland, raising their heads as if they were raising the flag of a country trying to triumph for life, and facing every team with a style that resembles the resilience of their people: