Bilbao, Spain – November 11, 2025 – the Palestinian national football team arrived in Bilbao today to play a charity match aimed at raising funds for Doctors Without Borders and highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The team’s presence comes as the Gaza Strip health ministry confirmed receiving the bodies of 15 Palestinians today, adding to the mounting toll of the conflict.
Coach ehab Abu Jazar, who comes from Gaza and has lost nearly 200 family members, with his home destroyed, stated to Agence France-Presse: “Emotionally and psychologically it is very difficult, but representing Palestine is the greatest honour there is.”
While most of the selected players have never lived in Gaza, playing instead in leagues in Qatar, Chile, Iceland, and the United States, thay represent the last active face of Palestinian football. the domestic palestinian league has been suspended since October 7, 2023, and hundreds of athletes have been injured or killed, including Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” who died in August at age 41 in the south of the Gaza Strip.
“We are hear on a mission to deliver a message to the whole world: the Palestinian people deserve to live with dignity,” Abu Jazar saeid, adjusting his keffiyeh. “We must end the occupation, end this war and this genocide. Death continues to strike in Gaza, as does famine. And there is no shelter.”
The team hopes the match,the first of its kind organized in Europe for the Palestinian selection,will increase international pressure for a lasting peace and recognition of the State of Palestine.
Defender Yaser Hamed, born in Bilbao and formerly trained at Athletic Club, currently playing in Qatar, emphasized the team’s responsibility: “we have this responsibility to give a little joy to our suffering compatriots. All this must stop and Palestine must finally be free.” He added that the funds raised will be crucial for rebuilding hospitals and delivering medicine.
