A group of young Palestinian athletes have defied all odds with their sheer resilience and grit to chase their dreams to bring international recognition to their besieged country.
They all have faced tough circumstances back in their homeland – from damaged houses to their loved ones being killed in Israeli air strikes.
But the 17-member squad of the Palestinian under-18 volleyball team proudly wears their team jersey as they believe sports can transcend political conflict and build bridges of peace.
In an exclusive interview with the GDN yesterday, the young players, coach and administration staff shared their stories of despair, finding home and forging ahead during the turbulent times with a mission to raise the Palestinian flag in international sports venues.
The team is practising in Bahrain ahead of the 17th Arab Junior Volleyball Championship to be held in Amman, Jordan from Saturday to August 25.
“The genocide back home has badly affected sports players, teams and staff,” said Palestine Volleyball Federation president Hamza Radi.
“We have lost about a third of the national volleyball team, and several players will never return to the court due to severe injuries.
“According to estimates from various Palestinian sports federations, about 750 players have died in the conflict (since October 2023).”
Mr Radi recalled his last conversation with Palestinian national volleyball squad captain Ahmed Al Mufti who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza in June this year while trying to secure food for his family.
“I called him two days before his death, and he told me he was planning to travel from northern Gaza to another area to get flour for his family,” said Mr Radi.
“We don’t want our athletes to be killed in the genocide, or face food shortages ... our fight is for survival and an independent homeland.”
A report by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) in June said that the total number of victims from the sports, youth and scouting community reached about 615 out of more than 61,000 Palestinians killed.
Last week, a popular footballer known as the ‘Palestinian Pelé’ was reportedly killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA).
Suleiman Al Obeid was killed when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid.
Mr Obeid’s damaged house in Gaza following Israeli air strikes
The PFA stated that 288 sports facilities have been damaged or reduced to rubble across Gaza and the West Bank.
The volleyball team’s coach, Amin Majd, said several staff, including himself, were doing their duties voluntarily while ensuring the young players do not deviate from their path and practice.
“There are more than 200 sports facilities destroyed in Gaza, which makes it difficult to conduct training for the players,” said Mr Majd.
“These players have trained with limited resources or facilities to be here today, and most of them have even slept in the sports halls due to hundreds of checkpoints across the West Bank.”
The under-18 squad’s captain Ibrahim Redhwan said many of his fellow teammates have to wait for more than five hours at checkpoints manned by Israeli forces – only to be sent back.
“We have to sometimes take alternate routes, and that could take hours,” said Mr Redhwan.
Meanwhile, Ammar Saleh, who plays in libero position, recounted how after training he was followed by an Israeli patrol to his house.
“I started to run after the patrol followed me until my doorstep,” he said.
“The Israeli Defence Forces members entered and started to hit me, and then took my ID and a photograph warning me not to go training in Nablus,” the player claimed.
Majority of the team players who arrived in Bahrain are from the West Bank, and only one is from Gaza, Saeed Zayed.
“I am based in Saudi Arabia, which made it easier for me to join the squad in Bahrain,” he said.
“There are at least five key players from Gaza who could not be with the team for this tournament because of the increased travel restrictions and checkpoint crossings.”
Ghaith Yusuf said despite the obstacles in their already hard journey, they do not miss training.
“We all have someone directly or indirectly affected by this ongoing conflict, but we continue to overcome one challenge after another to represent our flag and honour,” said Mr Yusuf.
“After this tournament ends, we will hopefully be back home and start school from September 1.”
Interestingly, player Mohammed Shamsana is carrying his school books so that he can complete his homework and projects ahead of the classes.
“I got my books to Bahrain and would like to continue higher studies,” said Mr Shamsana, who is preparing for his secondary examination next year.
The squad unanimously voiced their appreciation to be in Bahrain for the first time, with the members looking forward to visit different sites and shopping complexes.
“We are happy to be here, but scared for our families back home,” said another player.
“We want to represent Palestinian sports at international tournaments and win championships, but for us the real champions are the people of Gaza and their dreams,” said Mr Redhwan.
“The team’s success and efforts are a symbol of the strength of the Palestinian people and their enduring spirit.”
Meanwhile, the team’s administrator, Rajab Obeid, said he was both happy and sad being in Bahrain with the squad.
Mr Obeid, second from left, is reunited with his Bahrain-based relatives
“My house was destroyed in an Israeli air strike when the war broke out, and my dear wife got injured,” he said.
“We were forced to move to Egypt, and I still have images of my house in rubble that I often see on my mobile phone which makes me emotional.
“But because of this Bahrain trip, I met some of my relatives based here for the first time since the 1950s and am glad to see them.”
Hamas-led fighters triggered the war in October 2023, when they stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. About 50 hostages are still in Gaza, but only around 20 are thought to be alive.
More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed by Israel’s campaign, according to Gaza health officials.
Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times and its residents are facing a humanitarian crisis, with swaths of the territory reduced to rubble.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
Bahrain is one of 10 teams competing in this year’s tournament that is being organised by the Arab Volleyball Association, chaired by Bahrain Volleyball Association president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
They are in Pool B for the opening stage, alongside Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iraq and Kuwait.
Pool B is composed of the UAE, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt and hosts Jordan.
The Bahrainis lock horns with Palestine on the concluding day of the group stage on August 20.
Palestine Volleyball Federation president Hamza Radi yesterday thanked Shaikh Ali and the International Volleyball Federation for providing all the logistics, medical and other facilities to their under-18 squad taking part in the tournament.
Palestinian under-18 volleyball squad: Ibrahim Redhwan (captain), Tamer Majd, Mohammed Khalid, Mohammed Shamsana, Saifuddin Basheer, Mohammed Eid, Mohaned Allan, Ehab Allan, Abdulla Aoda, Tamer Ahmed, Ali Sairafi, Momen Sowalha, Ammar Saleh, Hamza Asfoor, Ghaith Yusuf, Ahmed Ketana and Saeed Zayed.
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