Palestine National Team in Spain: Charity Friendlies Aim to Spotlight Gaza Crisis

Palestine national team in Spain on a "mission" to raise awareness and aid

Coach Ehab Abu Jazar and the Palestinian national team have traveled to Spain to play symbolic friendly matches against Basque and Catalan selections, hoping the fixtures will amplify calls for humanitarian relief and political attention to Gaza.

Dressed in a black tracksuit with a whistle at his lips, Abu Jazar led a disciplined training session at Lezama, Athletic Bilbao's training complex, preparing his squad for a high-profile match at San Mamés stadium in front of an expected crowd of around 50,000 supporters.

Ranked 98th by FIFA, Palestine saw its dreams of a first World Cup end this summer in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. Many players on the touring squad are scattered across the globe — playing professionally in Qatar, Chile, Iceland and the United States — and most have never been to Gaza.

Personal loss and a broader message

Abu Jazar, who is from Gaza, has lost many relatives in the ongoing conflict and says his own home was destroyed. "My mother until today is still living in a tent along with my brothers, my sisters, my cousins, my neighbours, my friends, and all of Gaza," he told AFP, calling the emotional and psychological toll "extremely difficult."

"We are here on a mission," Abu Jazar said, adjusting his keffiyeh. "Our message to the whole world is this — put pressure on this occupation to stop this genocide."

The article notes that the Spanish government has described the campaign of bombardment as genocide; that characterization is reported here as the government's view.

Impact on Palestinian sport

Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestine Football Association, said sports infrastructure in Gaza has been devastated and cited large numbers of athletes, staff and officials who have been killed or injured. "From day one, they targeted sports. They destroyed all the infrastructure in Gaza, 289 locations in total," Rajoub told AFP. He also called for international sanctions on Israel.

Since the start of the war there has been no functioning domestic league in Gaza, and hundreds of athletes have been affected, including the country's most famous player, Suleiman Al-Obeid, who the association says was killed while civilians waited for humanitarian aid.

Charity, hope and resilience

The charity matches will donate proceeds to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Defender Yaser Hamed, born and trained in Bilbao, said the funds will support rebuilding hospitals and delivering medicine. "This is the most important thing — giving a voice to Palestinians who don't have one, and raising funds to help humanitarian organisations," he said.

Winger Ahmed Al-Qaq, 23, born in the United States to Palestinian parents, added: "We are not politicians, but as players, we give people something to look forward to. Especially with everything they're going through, it gives them a glimmer of hope."

Asked about results on the pitch after recent defeats to Malaysia and Algeria, the squad spoke of resilience. "We'll recover. It's in our genes to always get back up when we fall," one player said.