Gaza celebrates World Cup victory of Spanish team they took into their hearts

The Spanish football team’s World Cup win has been celebrated in the streets of Gaza, where Spain’s support for Palestinian rights and Israel’s backing for the Argentinian team turned the competition into more than a football showdown.Gathered at cafes and outdoor screenings, Palestinians defied the risk of Israeli attacks to cheer on a team they had taken to their hearts.Many waving Spanish flags paid tribute to teenage star Lamine Yamal, who brought a Palestinian flag to celebrations for Barcelona’s La Liga win in May.“Whoever raises the Palestinian flag deserves to raise the World Cup,” the Gaza al-Irada amputee football team wrote in a pre-game video message for the Spanish team.Saadi al-Masri, 40 and captain of the amputee team in Gaza, watched the game with friends in a cafe. “I support Spain because we see it as a country that stands with the Palestinian cause and supports Palestinian rights,” he said.Palestinians defied the risk of Israeli attacks to cheer on Spain. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesSpain has been among Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s war on Gaza and state-backed violence in the occupied West Bank. It is pushing for stronger European Union action over human rights violations, including suspension of a broad free trade pact.When Israel’s defence minister attacked Yamal for raising the Palestinian flag, accusing him of “inciting hatred”, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was quick to defend the young player.“Lamine has only expressed the solidarity with Palestine that is felt by millions of us in Spain. Another reason to be proud of him,” he said in a social media post.Israeli support for Argentina was led by Netanyahu, who has cultivated close ties with far-right president Javier Milei, and posted a good luck message for the team ahead of the final.The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations responded with an image of the Spanish team, under the headline “world champions”.Even keen fans in Gaza have struggled to keep up with matches during the World Cup. Most of the 2 million Palestinians in the territory live in tent camps after Israeli attacks destroyed their homes, with little access to power or internet connections.Arkan al-Walaida, 23, went to internet cafes to seek out match highlights each morning during the tournament, looking for short videos on TikTok or Fifa’s official YouTube and Instagram pages.When she found out on Monday that Spain had won, she was overwhelmed. “Honestly, I felt like I was about to cry from happiness,” she said. “We see their support as a sign of humanity.”Al-Masri watched the match at a cafe, packed with an excited crowd. “We were very happy when the final whistle confirmed Spain’s victory,” he said, but fear of Israeli airstrikes meant there were no late-night parties.In early July, an Israeli bomb killed Mohamed al-Wahidi, a Palestinian aid worker who organised screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza.The strike, just before the game between Egypt and Argentina, also killed brothers aged eight and 10, and a second man. The Israeli military confirmed the attack but said it had not targeted al-Wahidi.