The diaries of the Gaza players under the occupation: inspection, seizure, and denial of professionalism

Hani Abu Rizk - Gaza Strip

Palestinian players and clubs inside the Gaza Strip suffer from the difficulty of movement, movement and travel to and from the Strip, and the impact of this on the establishment of the Palestinian League with a single league system, and prompted the Federation of the game to establish the Palestinian League with a two-league system, the first in the Gaza Strip and bears the name of the Palestinian Premier League in the Gaza Strip, while The Palestinian Professional League is held in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Football Association approved the establishment of the Palestine Cup championship to break the sports siege by traveling teams from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and vice versa, but despite that, the occupation imposes obstacles every year that prevent clubs from traveling by not issuing the required permits to them.

To get closer to the diaries of the Palestinian clubs in the Gaza Strip, Al-Shuja’ia Club accompanied us in its training and during its matches in the Gaza Strip League in front of the Union Club of Beit Hanoun.

Al-Shuja’ia was one of the clubs in the Gaza Strip that traveled to the West Bank for the Palestine Cup final, and that was in 2015 against Al-Ahly club in Hebron in an experience that was not without hassle due to the Israeli obstacles.

"During my travel to the West Bank, I felt joy and happiness, as I will have a new experience in my life, which is to play for the first time on the land of Hebron in the face of the Al-Ahly club," said player Atia.

He added, "Traveling to the West Bank was not furnished with flowers, because we were subjected to inspection and walk through the checkpoints, in addition to the fact that Israel initially refused the travel of some of the team's players, but the media and public pressure at the time prompted the occupation to allow them to travel and underwent a strict investigation before allowing Them to cross. "

Attia was unable to continue with the Palestinian team because of his presence in the Gaza Strip, and he explained that his professionalism for a period in Jordan opened the doors of the team to him, but his return to playing in the Gaza Strip prevented him from completing his international career.

For his part, Al-Shojaeya club keeper Ahmed Al-Jaro talks about his experience, and confirms that the policy of the Israeli occupation deprives the players in the Gaza Strip of travel and external professionalism, and also prevents them from gaining experience, experience and developing Palestinian football.

He pointed out that many players in the Gaza Strip are able to professionalize abroad if the travel conditions were normal like the rest of the world.

In turn, Al-Shuja’ia club coach Naim Al-Swairki believes that football is no different in its suffering from other sectors in Gaza because of the occupation, and they pointed out that the Israeli measures led to the retreat of Palestinian clubs and their economic conditions.

He pointed out that the narrowing of the occupation is not limited to the players present in Gaza, and emphasized that players from the Gaza Strip are professional in Egypt and Jordan, who cannot reach the West Bank due to the difficult conditions imposed by the occupier, and if the player obtains a permit from Israel, he remains vulnerable to arrest and deportation to the Gaza Strip.

In the same vein, Ibrahim Abu Salim, Vice President of the Palestinian Football Association, said that Palestinian sport is going through an abnormal situation as a result of the Israeli practices, and he pointed out that Israel seeks to limit the development of Palestinian sport by continuously restricting clubs and athletes.

He explained that the Israeli restrictions are offset by a Palestinian insistence to move forward in organizing tournaments despite all the difficulties.