GAZA CITY — In a busy cafe in Gaza City, soccer fans gathered around a small screen and sat at an idle projector screen to watch Sunday night’s tense World Cup match between Spain and Saudi Arabia.
The crowd roared when 18-year-old Lamine Yamal scored Spain’s first goal in the 10th minute. Three more Spanish goals followed in the next 35 minutes, sealing a comfortable victory for Europe’s soccer powerhouses and delighting patrons at Gaza’s makeshift cafe.
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Saudi Arabia may share close ties with the Palestinians, but passion for the Spanish soccer team lingers in Gaza.
But Palestinian support for Spain during the World Cup is not only driven by the team’s on-field prowess. It has also been guided by Spain’s political and humanitarian position during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. almost killed 73,000 Palestinians.
Since the war began in October 2023, Spain has been one of Europe’s strongest supporters of Gaza residents and the most vocal critic of Israel.
Mohammad Atallah, 43, a lawyer from Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that he had been observing Spanish football for many years. But when war broke out and left-wing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez threw his country’s support behind Gaza, his love for La Roja, known as Spain’s national soccer team, took on a different meaning.
“We are a people who love life and love football. Many here have been following La Liga and the Spanish national team for years, but Spain’s attitude during the war has brought people closer together,” Atallah said.
He said some of Spain’s positions resonate widely among Palestinians. Spain’s official stance on the war, including Barcelona star Lamine Yamal’s solidarity with the Palestinians, recognition of a Palestinian state in 2024 and King Felipe VI’s appeal to Israel to end its “abominable acts” in Gaza, are all at the center of attention in Gaza City, 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) from Madrid.
“I’m proud of everyone who stood by the Palestinian people in these circumstances. That’s why so many people here support Spain not only for football, but also on this humanitarian basis,” he added.
“We expect Spain to win and we strongly support them, but ultimately we also respect the Saudi national team,” he said with a smile.
Throughout the cafe, fans repeatedly mentioned Spain’s political stance as a factor in supporting the national team. Hani Abu Risk, 32, saw the cheering for Spain in Gaza City as a sign of Palestinian determination to hold on despite the war.
He said watching soccer is one of the few ways to escape the pressures of daily life in Gaza, but politics still finds a way to infiltrate the beautiful game in Gaza.
“We want to show the world that despite all the destruction and hardships around us, the people of Gaza love life and love sport,” Abu Risku said.
“It is impossible to ignore the impact of pro-Palestinian positions, whether it is the Spanish government or athletes.”
When Yamal raised the Palestinian flag at Barcelona’s La Liga victory celebrations last month, Palestinians saw it as a show of solidarity with Gaza’s sporting community, which has been under fire since October 2023.
“Many football players who were once stars of their local leagues have been forced to take other jobs after stadiums were destroyed and sporting activities ceased,” he said.
Despite this, Palestinians in Gaza still retain their love for soccer. Frequent power outages and internet failures have made life difficult for Palestinians in Gaza, but they still find time to gather at cafes and watch soccer games together.
“Major sporting events continue to be an opportunity for Palestinians to remind the world of their cause and ongoing suffering, just as the Palestinian presence was highly visible in the stands and among fans during the Qatar 2022 World Cup,” he said.
For many people in Gaza, soccer is an outlet for sadness and frustration, but Abdullah Massoud said the match between Spain and Saudi Arabia is also an opportunity for people to recognize the unity between Spain and the Palestinian people.
“We, the people of Gaza, have suffered greatly from the siege and the war. This tournament has given us the opportunity to experience a moment that feels somewhat normal. We love football, like everyone else, and we used to want to see Palestine play in the World Cup,” he said.
(Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera)
“We will never forget the positions we witnessed during the war, whether it was Spanish government officials or athletes like Lamine Yamal who raised the Palestinian flag in front of the world.”
Palestinians say decisions about who to root for at this World Cup were made based on the Palestinian position on the massacres in Gaza, even if the team plays against an Arab side.
“Thank you to everyone who stood with the people of Gaza. They may not speak our language, but their humanitarian stance has reached us more than any other people in the world. That’s why so many here feel close to them,” Massoud said.
“Every time I see the image of Palestine in the stadium or among the supporters, I feel that our suffering has not been forgotten and that there are still people who will hear our voice.”
