Sawt Falasteen - Bittersweet World Cup for Gaza's football fans

Dozens of men and boys stood transfixed as they watched Belgium play Egypt -- a much-anticipated fixture for Palestinian football fans eager to witness the prowess of their idol, Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah.

The 1-1 draw in Monday's match didn't dampen their spirits, with some fans climbing onto their friends' shoulders and waving huge Egyptian flags.

Smiles spread across the crowd gathered among the ruins of the Nuseirat neighourbood which, like the rest of the Gaza Strip, was devastated during the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.

"The World Cup is not a trivial event for Gazans," said Mustafa Siam, a member of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), whose president was denied visas for the United States and Canada.

"Palestinian football fans will try to follow the matches and forget their worries and pain," he told AFP, wearing a tracksuit top in red, the colour of the Palestinian national team.

Owners of the small makeshift cafes that have sprung up across the Palestinian territory are doing their best to try to recreate the atmosphere of previous major tournaments.

And they are attracting an audience, despite the dire situation facing Gaza's population.

In Al-Zawayda, in the central Gaza Strip, a tent in a camp for displaced people shows a match on a small television screen.

Fans sit on plastic chairs arranged on the sandy floor, their chatter mingling with the hum of a worn-out generator.

"We try, as much as possible, to experience the World Cup -- loved by both young and old," said one customer, Eid Al-Attar.

"Will I ever get the chance to attend an opening match or any World Cup match inside the stadium?" he wondered.

"Of course, it's a dream for every football fan, but here in Gaza, that's forbidden for us because we are occupied and besieged," he told AFP.

Israel strictly controls all entry and exit points into Gaza, where a ceasefire came into effect in October. A small number of people are able to leave in special cases, particularly for medical treatment.

- 'We were happy' -

In Gaza City, 27-year-old Mazen al-Ghoul watched the World Cup opening ceremony with a feeling of "oppression".

"The world is living and enjoying life, while we don't even have homes, schools or electricity to watch the matches," he said.

Several people who spoke to AFP recalled the previous World Cup, held in Qatar in 2022, when screens had been set up at Palestine Stadium and Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City.

Then, thousands of football fans had massed to watch the evening matches.

Now, several small seafront cafes are showing the games, but generators frequently cut out. Spectators are left exasperated while staff work to patch up the old machines, connected by fraying electrical wires.

Other restaurants and local venues where people used to watch the football were destroyed during the war.

Marwan al-Sheikh, 30, who now lives in a tent, remembered watching the previous World Cup with friends in Gaza's trendy cafes.

"We were happy," he said.

"I no longer feel that enthusiasm. I watch the matches in a cafe set up in a tent. Today, we are miserable, our view of the world has changed -- not just when it comes to football."

- 'Escape' -

On a beach in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian territory, another high-stakes football showcase was being played out far from the global spotlight.

Young men, some barefoot, dart around in the sand under the guidance of a volunteer coach improvising drills amid the shouts.

"Football is the only escape in life," said Mohammad Abu Tah, one of the coaches of a hastily-formed team inspired by the World Cup.

"Our own 'World Cup' starts on land that is destroyed, devastated, full of hardship and wounds," added his colleague Jaber al-Basheeti, mentioning amputee players, destroyed facilities and numerous shortages of equipment.

And while there were no stands, there was no shortage of spectators, with fans perched on broken blocks of concrete arranged around the makeshift pitch.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST