Palestinian football resumes with 1,000 Martyrs Cup

Palestinian football officially resumed this week with the first tournament organised by the Palestinian Football Association in three years, mixing celebration with mourning after the Gaza war.

The association named the comeback tournament the "1,000 Martyrs Cup". It said the competition includes more than 200 teams from the occupied West Bank, Gaza and refugee camps in Lebanon.

The opening match in the West Bank was held Friday at Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Al-Ram, where Jabal Al-Mukaber Club played Shabab Al-Khaleel SC. A minute of silence was held at the 10-minute, 14-second mark.

Palestinian professional sports had been halted after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. The Palestinian Football Association says 1,014 Palestinian athletes were killed during the war.

Palestinian football authorities have accused Israel of killing football players and damaging Gaza's sporting infrastructure. Israel has said 12 Palestinian football figures it killed in Gaza, including a FIFA-registered referee, were members of militant groups. The Palestinian Football Association has rejected that allegation.

The tournament also opened in Gaza, where Khadamat Rafah played Shabab Rafah in Deir al-Balah as fans sat around a small field. Israeli strikes have left much of Gaza in ruins, and some football fields have been turned into makeshift camps for displaced people.

West Bank teams are expected to face travel difficulties between cities and Israeli military checkpoints, but participants said they wanted sporting activities to continue.