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‘Confused, happy, sad’: Palestinian footballers get back on the pitch
Youssef Jendiya, 21, is among several Palestinian footballers who took part in Gaza’s first organised football tournament in more than two years.
Jendiya’s team, Jabalia Youth, took on Al-Sadaqa this week at the Palestine Pitch in Gaza City, while a second fixture featured Beit Hanoon versus Al-Shujayea.
“Confused. Happy, sad, joyful, happy” is how Jendiya described feeling after getting back out onto the pitch.
“People search for water in the morning: food, bread. Life is a little difficult. But there is a little left of the day, when you can come and play football and express some of the joy inside you,” he told the Reuters news agency.
“You come to the stadium missing many of your teammates … killed, injured, or those who travelled for treatment. So the joy is incomplete.”
Palestinian football players take part in a friendly five-a-side tournament in Gaza City
Palestinians in Gaza find relief in ‘winter swimming’
Along Gaza City’s shoreline, dozens of Palestinians have found a companion and an outlet in the sea, turning to early morning swims to ease psychological strain and briefly escape the pressures of Israeli genocide.
Gaza’s sea, long a witness to the devastation inflicted on the enclave, embraces each morning dozens of young men and elderly residents who persist in swimming despite the winter chill, seeking respite from life’s hardships, physical renewal and stronger immunity.
Not far from Israeli naval boats that blockade the coast and pursue fishermen in their daily struggle for a livelihood, the swimmers enter the water and perform exercises, creating simple moments of joy.
Swimming coach Mohammed Mahra gathers his trainees at the water’s edge, leading fitness drills as the first rays of sunrise reflect off the sea.
“As Gaza has always shown the world that it can achieve the impossible, here we are creating joy through our determination from the heart of Gaza’s life-filled sea, despite the pain we carry,” Mahra said.
