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The Palestinian national team squad currently playing in the 2023 Asian Cup consists of 20 players from the occupied territories, 3 from the Gaza Strip: Muhammad Saleh, Mahmoud Wadi, Yasser Hamad, 10 players from the West Bank, and 7 players from occupied Jerusalem.

But the material, psychological and sporting reality of this team, which is called the Fedayeen, is far from the reality of the vast majority of football teams in the world, where there is material abundance, superior sports care, fame and luxury. The members of the “Fedayeen” live in the shadow of the ongoing occupation war on their country, in addition to humility. The potential of their team and their difficult psychological state, which makes them compete in the Asian Cup currently being held in the Qatari capital, Doha, armed only with will and talent.

Despite these difficult circumstances, the performance of the players of the “Guardian” team was epic and exceeded expectations, as they were able to win yesterday by three clean goals over their rivals from the Hong Kong team, which qualified them to advance to the round of 16 in the Asian Cup for the first time in history.

The Al-Fedayi match against Hong Kong yesterday witnessed a touching gesture from the national team’s defender, Mohammed Saleh, from the Gaza Strip - who lost a number of his family members in the current aggression - who cried after the end of the match, and wrote the number 110 on his arm, in reference to the number of days of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. .

The Fedayi was able to win the hearts of the opponents before the supporters, as all the stands chanted for Palestine, and everyone raised the Palestinian flag, the Palestinian shawl, and the victory badge, even the fans of the opposing team from Hong Kong.

In the episode (01/24/2024), the “Shabakat” program monitored the celebration and praise of tweeters and activists on social networking sites for the Palestinian team’s rise to the round of 16 of the Asian Cup for the first time in history, despite the conditions of war and the ongoing Israeli aggression.

Fighting spirit

For his part, activist Amer praised the result, which proved that the achievement is born from the womb of pain and suffering. He said, “The men of Palestine wrote history, and qualified from an iron group that included Iran and the Emirates,” and added that it was “an achievement that was written in exceptional, difficult circumstances.”

Meanwhile, tweeter Ahmed Hisham praised the high spirit and determination shown by the Palestinian team, and tweeted, “A team whose members live in the most difficult conditions in the world, and is present in the tournament, and qualifies for the round of 16. This means this is a mighty team,” and he continued, “You shamed us with your high spirit and your terrible determination, oh beloved people of Palestine.” ".

As for the tweeter, Fatna, she pointed to Al-Fedayi’s pride in himself, and said, “All the teams play to win, except for the Palestinian team, which plays to say, ‘I exist, I am Palestinian.’”

For his part, the account holder, Ibrahim, noted the team’s fighting spirit, their love for the Palestinian jerseys, and their arrival to the round of 16 for the first time in their history, and wrote, “They deserve this arrival, and they deserve the name Palestine.”

Tweeter Hamido Al-Yassini confirmed that Palestine is victorious and is crowned with the title of Will and Challenge. He said that “winning and qualifying has more connotations than reducing it to a football match, and that the Palestinian national team tells the story of a torn, crushed and oppressed people.” He stressed that “the victory represents symbolism and a human and national dimension for a people under occupation.”

Source: Al Jazeera