In the remains of the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Ali Tafesh chases the ball on crutches, exchanging passes with teammates from Gaza Al-Irada — the Will of Gaza — a football club made up of amputee players.
The stadium is far removed from the grandiose arenas hosting the 2026 World Cup in North America. But for Ali and his teammates, it is one of the last usable sports spaces in Gaza due to Israel's genocidal war, which has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians.
The players cling to football as a means of survival more than a sport. They are trying to reclaim fragments of their former lives despite months of loss, injuries, and widespread destruction.
Just four years ago, Ali, 24, was watching the World Cup in Qatar with friends in a Gaza cafe. Today, the world prepares for a new tournament while he finds himself among thousands of war survivors who have lost limbs, including hundreds of athletes.
In February 2024, months after the war began, his family home in the Zeitoun neighborhood was struck, killing his mother and brother, while doctors amputated one of his legs.
After painful treatment and adjustment, Ali learned about Gaza Al-Irada through friends who had undergone amputations. A former sprinter and law graduate, he sought another sporting avenue. "After my leg was amputated, I lost hope in life. I was a champion... My friends welcomed me," says Ali, who began playing six months ago.
As the world's focus shifts to the World Cup, Ali feels Gaza exists in a parallel world — cut off not only by war but also by the absence of basic sporting needs. "There is no transportation. I have to walk more than two hours on crutches to reach the field," he adds.
Forty-year-old Saadi al-Masri's story differs from most teammates. He lost his leg in a car accident at age two, not in the current war. He became a national swimming champion and amputee football player. But Israeli restrictions make travel outside Gaza difficult.
"Watching the World Cup is deeply painful for us," Saadi says. "As an amputee team, we were supposed to participate in qualifiers this year, but the war prevented us. It is very painful because we are absent and forgotten." He criticizes FIFA for failing to deliver on promises to rebuild Gaza's football infrastructure.
In February, FIFA announced a partnership to build 50 mini-pitches, five stadiums, an academy, and a national stadium in Gaza. The team says these remain unfulfilled promises, with FIFA linking implementation to security conditions.
Gaza Al-Irada was founded in May 2018 to give amputees a chance to return to sport. The team includes players injured in successive wars. The WHO estimates 5,000-6,000 Palestinians have had limbs amputated since October 2023. The Palestinian Football Association reports 1,007 sports community members killed and 265 sports facilities damaged or destroyed.
Coach Hatem al-Mughrebi sees the World Cup as a painful reminder of Gaza's isolation. "We will mostly watch on mobile phones. The war and siege have had a devastating impact on players' psychological state," he says, calling for real support to rebuild stadiums and give Palestinian athletes a chance to continue.
Source: www.aljazeera.com