Palestine's starting eleven gather for their national anthem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifying match against Lebanon at the Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah, the UAE, on November 16, 2023. /CFP
For the Palestinian national football team, a third straight participation in the AFC Asian Cup should have been a happy occasion. However, amid the devastating conflict in the Gaza Strip that has led to thousands of deaths, focusing on football has been far from easy for the players.
Palestine forward Tamer Seyam, one of the senior-most players in the squad, spoke to CGTN ahead of the tournament, describing the mood in the camp amid the ongoing crisis.
"It is very difficult. We train and play while our minds are with our family and friends in Palestine," he said.
"The war must stop so that we can live in peace. We love life, but children, women and the elderly die every day," he added.
The 31-year-old Seyam, who currently plays for Thai club Prachuap, has been part of the Palestinian national team for almost a decade, having made his debut in 2014. Prior to moving to the Thai top flight, the Jerusalem-born footballer spent most of his career playing in the West Bank Premier League.
Over the years, Palestinian footballers, particularly those from Gaza, have found themselves impacted by restrictions on movement. For instance, in 2019, the final of the Palestine Cup, featuring the winners of the cup competitions in Gaza and the West Bank, was cancelled after Israel denied travel permits to 31 of 35 members of Gaza's Khadamat Rafah club to travel to the West Bank.
In the last two years, players based in Gaza haven't been called up to the national team. More recently, as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank amid the Gaza war, Palestine had to withdraw from the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia in October.
"Being a player in the Palestinian national team means that there are many difficulties," Seyam said of the situation. "Difficulty in gathering and doing exercises; difficulty in traveling," he added.
Tamer Seyam (9) of Palestine in action against Hassan Ali Saad (C) of Lebanon during the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifying match against Lebanon at the Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah, the UAE, on November 16, 2023. /CFP
The seasoned striker said players in Palestine have had to face imprisonment, while some have died in the past due to the over-seven-decade-long conflict. In the latest round of violence, Rashid Dabour, a defender for Al-Ahly Beit Hanoun, Nazir al-Nashnash, who played for Bureij Services Football Club, and Hani Al-Masdar, coach of the Palestinian Olympic football team, have been among those from the football fraternity who have lost their lives.
"Everything is difficult in Palestine," Seyam said.
"But we are trying to convey a message to the world that the Palestinian people exist on their land and demand their freedom," he added.
At the Asian Cup, Palestine have been placed in a group along with Iran, the UAE and China's Hong Kong. Speaking of the team's objectives for the tournament, Seyam said, "Our goal is to qualify for the next stage. It is a difficult group, but we want to make the Palestinian people happy, even if just a little. The task will not be easy."
Asked for his message to Palestinian youngsters amid the raging conflict back home, Seyam said, "My message is that we must be strong, we must play football, and we must help everyone in everything. (We need) to preserve the image of Palestine and deal with the world with good morals. We must bear all the pressures we are exposed to in order to gain our freedom."
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