Members of the Palestinian national football team arrive at Bilbao airport before their friendly match against the Basque national team in Bilbao, on Nov. 11, 2025. (Credit: Ander Gillene /AFP)
“On a mission” in Bilbao, the Palestinian footballers, symbols of a sport devastated by two years of conflict in Gaza, play a symbolic match on Saturday against the Basque national team, their first in Europe, with the hope of promoting peace. Wearing black tracksuits and a whistle around his neck, Ehab Abou Jazar, the coach of the Palestinian team, runs the training session at Lezama, the Athletic Bilbao training center, with authority.
On a pitch lent by the Basque club, he tries to prepare his players as best as possible for the match at the San Mamés stadium in front of 50,000 spectators. All the spectators are expected to support the Palestinian cause, which is very popular in the region, where demonstrations in support of Palestine notably disrupted the Tour of Spain cycling race two months ago.
“It’s difficult to coach when your mother lives in a makeshift tent. I come from Gaza. We have lost nearly 200 people in my family. My house was destroyed,” the coach tells AFP. “Emotionally and psychologically it is very difficult. But representing Palestine is the greatest honor there is.”
Unlike their coach, most of the selected players have never set foot in the Gaza Strip. They play in Qatar, Chile, Iceland, or the United States. But they are representatives of the small territory devastated by two years of war, triggered in response to the attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
‘Living with dignity’
Since then, there has been no championship, no functioning clubs, and hundreds of athletes have been injured or killed, including the country’s most famous player, Suleiman Al-Obeid, 41, nicknamed the “Palestinian Pelé.” “From day one, they targeted sport. They destroyed all the infrastructures in Gaza, 289 in total,” accuses Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Federation, to AFP.
“1,100 athletes, staff, coaches, and referees have been killed, including our captain [Al-Obeid]. Thousands have been injured, hundreds are missing… Israel should be sanctioned,” says the 72-year-old official, also secretary general of Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Ehab Abu Jazar, keffiyeh around his neck, continues: “We are here on a mission. To send a message to the entire world: the Palestinian people deserve to live with dignity.” “The occupation must end, this war and genocide must end. Death continues to strike in Gaza, famine too. And there is no shelter,” he insists, despite the fragile ceasefire in effect since October 10.
He hopes, like his players, that this match — with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders — will help increase “pressure” on the international community for a lasting peace and the recognition of the State of Palestine.
‘Always get back up’
“The most important thing is to give a voice to Palestinians who have none, and to raise funds to help humanitarian associations. This money will help a lot, notably to rebuild hospitals, deliver medicines, etc.,” says Yaser Hamed, born in Bilbao, trained at Athletic Club, and currently playing in Qatar.
The defender, who speaks Basque and Spanish, considers himself “lucky” to continue living his passion “while some Palestinians are dying of hunger.” “It makes you savor every meal, and all the little things people take for granted every day,” he says. “We have this responsibility to give a little joy to our compatriots who are suffering. All this must end, and Palestine must finally be free.”
His teammate Ahmad Alqaq, born in the United States to Palestinian parents, hopes that the matches against the Basque and Catalan selections, Tuesday in Barcelona, will “open the world’s eyes” to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. “We are not politicians, but as players we give people something to hold on to. With everything they are going through, it gives them a glimmer of hope,” explains the 23-year-old winger.
“Every time we play, those who can turn on the TV forget everything for 90 minutes. And if Palestine loses, as it did against Malaysia or Algeria in October? We will get back up. It’s in our genes to always rise after falling.”
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