The historic sporting moment for Palestinians comes as Israel’s war against Hamas following the group’s October 7 attacks rages in Gaza, causing widespread destruction and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Some Palestinian players have reportedly lost family members, or have relatives trapped in Gaza, and have spoken about the difficulties of playing while not knowing what’s happening at home. Many of those in the stands in Qatar waved Palestinian flags or held up keffiyeh scarves to show support for the team. Thaier Al-Sudani/ReutersStarvation, bombing at homeAs the Palestinian team progresses to the knockout stage in Qatar, back home the Israeli military campaign is intensifying in southern Gaza. On Monday, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 25,295, with at least 63,000 injuries recorded.

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Persons: Dabbagh, Abdullah, Zeid Qunbar, Mohammed Saleh, Thaier, Makram Daboub, ” “, ” Daboub, Hector Cuper, Hong, Everton Camargo, Khan Younis Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, soccer team, AFC Asian, Hong, Hamas, West Bank, Reuters, ”, India, United Nations Relief, Works Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Qatar, Doha, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Reuters Palestine, Syria, Iran, Hamas