Soccer rises from Gaza rubble in first tournament in 2 years

Palestinians play soccer on a pitch, near buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensive, in Gaza City, February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa© Thomson Reuters

Soccer is back in Gaza — and it’s happening on a pitch carved out of war wreckage. On a battered five-a-side field surrounded by ruins, Jabalia Youth faced Al-Sadaqa in the first organised tournament in more than two years. The crowd roared anyway, desperate for a slice of normal life after devastation.

The match ended in a draw, and so did a second game between Beit Hanoun and Al-Shujaiya. But nobody seemed to care about the scoreline. Fans rattled a chain-link fence, boys climbed broken walls, and a drumbeat echoed through shattered concrete.

The games took place at the Palestine Pitch in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa district. The setting told its own brutal story, with collapsed buildings and rubble all around. Even so, the crowd packed in, hungry for sport, noise, and release.

For players like Youssef Jendiya, 21, the moment was loaded with emotion. His home area of Jabalia has been largely depopulated and bulldozed by Israeli forces. Stepping back onto the pitch brought a rush of mixed feelings.

“Confused. Happy, sad, joyful, happy,” Jendiya said. He described daily life as a grind for water, food, and bread. Soccer, he said, offers a brief escape and a way to feel joy again.

But the joy is incomplete. Many teammates are missing, killed, injured, or forced to travel for medical treatment. The absences hang heavy over the pitch, even as the ball rolls again.

Four months after a ceasefire ended major fighting, Gaza has seen almost no reconstruction. Israeli forces have ordered residents out of nearly two-thirds of the territory. More than 2 million people are crammed into a narrow coastal strip of ruins.

Most now live in makeshift tents or damaged buildings. Space is tight, and resources are scarce. Against that backdrop, even a half-sized soccer pitch becomes a rare refuge.

The scars of war are impossible to miss. Gaza City’s 9,000-seat Yarmouk Stadium was levelled by Israeli forces and used as a detention centre during the conflict. Today, displaced families live there in white tents, pitched on what used to be the playing surface.

For this week’s tournament, the Football Association cleared rubble from a collapsed wall. Workers put up a fence and swept debris off the old artificial turf. It was a small fix in a sea of destruction, but enough to get the games going.

Players said the tournament carried a message beyond sport. Beit Hanoun player Amjad Abu Awda, 31, said stepping onto the pitch was an act of defiance. “No matter what happened in terms of destruction and genocidal war, we continue with playing, and with life,” he said.

Palestinians watch near a building damaged during the two-year Israeli offensive, as people play soccer on a pitch, in Gaza City, February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa© Thomson Reuters

For fans and players alike, the games offered a brief break from relentless hardship. The cheers, the drumbeats, and the dusty goals became a reminder of what was lost — and what people are trying to hold onto. In a landscape of tents and rubble, soccer became a symbol of survival.

What happens next remains uncertain. With little rebuilding and mass displacement still in force, even this fragile return to sport is under threat. But for now, Gaza has a ball at its feet again — and that alone is a powerful statement.

Key Takeaways

• Gaza hosted its first organised soccer tournament in more than two years.

• Players and fans gathered amid rubble, displacement, and missing teammates.

• The matches became a symbol of resilience after months of devastation

Soccer returns to Gaza pitch scarred by war and loss