The first international referee for basketball in the Gaza Strip... an unfamiliar scene (photos)
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The looks of the fans present at a men's basketball match, sometimes to follow the performance of the players, and at other times to observe an unfamiliar scene in the conservative Gaza Strip: Amira Ismail, the first woman wisdom of the game.
Ismael, 23, broke into the world of sports to become the first girl to win an international title in the beleaguered sector of conservative nature.
In complete astonishment, fans watching from the stands stare at the referee, who is running the match between the Nuseirat camp team (center) and its counterpart from the YMCA in the Strip.
Amira watches the players' performance as she sits next to a colleague around a wooden table in the judges' cabin.
This year, the young woman succeeded in obtaining an international referee's license from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), after passing exams organized by the federation via the Internet.
Ismail acknowledges that there are societal constraints on women in a similar profession.
"I was determined to take to the court and practice my profession as an international referee. I deserved it," says the young woman, who wears a tracksuit the color of her blue eyes.
Although she holds a degree in pharmacy, she says that "the idea of girls playing basketball and playing sports was not widespread in Gazan society in recent times."
The brown-haired young woman talks about her experience in refereeing five matches, all with men, noting that everyone looks at her with astonishment on the field, repeating several questions: "Is she a foreigner or an Arab? What are you doing here?"
Ismail explains that the biggest challenge before her will be after the end of the Corona pandemic, as she will face the public face to face.
She says that "the matches are now held without a large crowd due to the Corona virus, so the reactions are less, and the situation will be more difficult" after the pandemic.
Besides Amira Ismail, 14 other people hold the title of international referee in the Strip, all of them are men, while there are only four women's teams in Gaza.
On the other hand, 12 men's teams from all over the Gaza Strip compete in the annual local championship, according to Ramzi Al-Borai, a member of the Palestinian Basketball Association's jury.
Ismail hopes that "the idea of girls practicing sports will become a normal thing, and that they will not be afraid of the conservative society's view, which has become more and more strict."
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