Football offers escape for Gaza, but World Cup spirit dimmed
Key takeaways
- Palestinians in Gaza struggle to find World Cup joy amid displacement, power outages, and memories of previous lives.
- While millions of football fans around the world follow the tournament in real time, Sameeh often has no choice but to rely on delayed broadcasts or match highlights due to frequent internet and electricity outages.
- “The situation is bad, especially the internet networks.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Palestinians in Gaza struggle to find World Cup joy amid displacement, power outages, and memories of previous lives.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Gaza residents watch World Cup matches from a makeshift cafe set up in displacement camps in central Gaza City [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]By Maram Humaid Published On 23 Jun 202623 Jun 2026Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Sitting outside his makeshift tent in Gaza City’s Yarmouk Stadium, 43-year-old Sameeh Totah stares at the screen of his mobile phone, watching a World Cup game that took place the night before.
While millions of football fans around the world follow the tournament in real time, Sameeh often has no choice but to rely on delayed broadcasts or match highlights due to frequent internet and electricity outages.