JABALIA, Palestinian Territories: On a makeshift pitch in war-torn Gaza, a young player and goalkeeper block out a rowdy crowd and focus solely on football as they fight.
The referee blows his whistle and the penalty taker sends the ball into the makeshift goal, sparking wild celebrations as the crowd pounces on him.
For fans and players, Tuesday's match at the Jabalia refugee camp was a welcome distraction from the pangs of hunger and exhaustion that have endured nearly 300 days of Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Referee Rami Mustafa Abu Hashish told AFP that football had helped “restore some semblance of life” in Jabalia, devastated by Israeli bombing and fighting that has repeatedly destroyed schools, stadiums and homes and uprooted families.
In the courtyard of the school, which had been turned into a shelter, both sides battled for the trophy, which one of the players said had been salvaged from the rubble.
The game created a festive atmosphere, with spectators pulling out chairs and leaning over the railings of the three-story complex to cheer.
A group of boys gathered on an empty truck to get a better view.
“We will play despite hunger and thirst, we will compete because we love life,” read one child's caption in English and Arabic.
Jabalia has been hit particularly hard by the Israeli offensive launched in May as part of a brutal campaign that has engulfed northern Gaza, an area the military previously said was beyond the control of Hamas militants.
While the fighting continues, humanitarian organizations struggle to deliver aid and warn of impending famine.
Residents told AFP that there is almost no food left in the north and what they do get is astronomically expensive.
For the footballers, the match offered a rare escape from worries about food and water shortages.
They have been unable to play since the war began on October 7, triggered by Hamas attacks that have killed 1,197 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 44 the army said were killed.
At least 39,145 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli campaign of retaliation in Hamas-controlled territory, according to the health ministry.
“After the war in Gaza, we stayed away from sports because all the clubs were destroyed, all the playgrounds were destroyed, but today we made something out of nothing,” said Saif Abu Saif, one of the players.
Gaza's Ministry of Education says 85 percent of schools in the territory are closed because of the war.
Many have been turned into shelters for displaced people, as most of the 2.4 million residents of the besieged strip have been repeatedly evicted from their homes.
Coach Wael Abu Saif said he was determined to be present for Tuesday's match despite still being in pain from injuries sustained in February. He said he is now in a wheelchair, having lost the use of both legs.
“I have loved football since I was a child, I love tournaments, I love playing,” he told AFP.
“I want to prove to the world … that we continue to move forward with our most basic right, which is the game of football.”
