CNN —As the echoes of the final whistle rang out around the Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium in Doha, Qatar, Palestinian players celebrated with anguished joy last week.
The historic sporting moment for Palestinians comes as Israel’s war against Hamas rages in Gaza, causing widespread destruction and initiating a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The Palestinian Football Association says that, as of December 6, 55 football players are amongst the dead, including amateur and youth members.
Some Palestinian national team footballers, like Saleh, have reportedly lost family members or have relatives and friends trapped in Gaza.
Palestinian national team players observe the national anthems prior to the AFC Asian Cup Group C match between Iran and Palestine at Education City Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Persons:
Abdullah, Oday, Israel, Rami Hamada, Mohamed Saleh, Mohammed Rashid, CNN’s Eleni Giokos, “, Hong Kong, ”, “ We’re, Rashid, Mohammed Saleh, Hector Retamal, Saleh, ” Rashid, there’s, “ They’ve, ” Mohammed Rashid of, Mohammad Mohebbi, Masashi Hara, Gianni Infantino, we’re, Robert Cianflone, Monday’s
Organizations:
CNN, Palestinian national soccer team, AFC Asian, Hong, Qatar, Iran, Palestinian, UAE, Group C, Janoub, Getty, Ministry of Health, Palestinian Football Association, West Bank, Palestinian soccer, Education City, FIFA, UEFA, Russian, Israel, Persib, “, Hamas
Locations:
Doha, Qatar, Palestinian, Gaza, Hong Kong, Hong, Palestine, Al, AFP, “, Ramallah, Israel, Iran, Al Rayyan, Ukraine, Persib Bandung, refence, Russia