Published On 4/7/2026
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Last update: 14:52 (Mecca time)
To the sound of the drone of aircraft that did not leave the sky, and among the displacement tents and the rubble of destroyed homes, the people of the Gaza Strip captured moments of pure joy. The ongoing war of extermination did not prevent them from gathering around the simple display screens to watch the Egyptian national team’s match in the World Cup. The exhausted streets of the Strip became arenas for spontaneous celebration following the historic “Pharaohs” qualification for the Round of 16.
The Gazans defied the conditions of the siege and the power outage, and set up simple screens among the rubble and tents, and with the announcement of Egypt’s victory over Australia on penalty kicks, sounds of joy and shouts of takbir broke through the darkness of the night, in a scene documented by journalist Assem Al-Nabih through a video clip that showed how chants of encouragement drowned out the sounds of war, Egyptian flags fluttered over the rubble, and expressions of support and belonging echoed in the throats of young people.
Egypt was not alone in qualifying
Across social media platforms, the posts embodied the depth of emotional connection. Blogger Iyad Hajjar posted a video clip of a fan crying with joy, and commented with poignant words in which he wrote: “It is Gaza, not Cairo… it is the kindness of the people of Gaza and their tears, it is the people who did not lose their belonging to their Arab homeland, which left them facing extermination alone.”
Activist Tamer Qudeih described the scene as a “national wedding,” and likened the cheers and tears to those that accompany the announcement of a ceasefire. Qudeih stressed the existence of a historical, cultural, and geographical connection with Egypt, and wrote in expressive words: “Not only did Egypt qualify, but Gaza qualified with it.”
Under the slogan “Left, Right, We Love the Egyptians,” tweeter Abu Salah asked about the secret of this joy on the faces of a people experiencing genocide, to which he replied that “Everything is made easy for the eyes of Egypt.”
In a related context, writer Samar Jarrah considered these scenes as a reflection of the Arab peoples’ thirst for joy and to escape the oppression of wars and international impotence, as people search for moments that make them forget the extent of pain.
Palestinian accounts of activists and media platforms also shared scenes of joy and overwhelming celebration in Gaza City, where young people clearly expressed their love for Egypt by raising flags and slogans of support.
For his part, an account bearing the name “Al-Hakim” reacted with words that sum up the scene: “From Gaza… here is Egypt, great joy spreads in Gaza amidst all this pain.”
Egypt responds with an outpouring of emotion
On the other hand, these feelings were met with an outpouring of love and gratitude from the Egyptian masses, and Sherine Arafa wrote words that reflect extreme emotion: “Despite the disappointment, siege, hunger, and destruction, such was the joy of the people of Gaza… Your joy made me cry. Forgive us.”
In turn, engineer Atef Ezzat praised the good nature and warmth of deep-rooted feelings between the two peoples, and wrote in his message to the people of Gaza: “Your joys are our joys, and your tragedies bleed our hearts.”
These scenes were not lost on the sports stars, as former Egyptian national team player Mohamed Abu Trika expressed his great affection for the extent of the Gazan joy through the analytical studio. Abu Trika said: “We were raised on the issue, the entire Egyptian people, 120 million people, the little child cheering for Palestine.”
He added in a tone filled with pity: “People are living in conditions of genocide and feel all this joy for the Egyptian team, and I thank Captain Hossam because in times of joy people forget.”
The coach raises the flag.. Holding the end
In a gesture that culminated in this exceptional state of cohesion, the spontaneous response came from the field via the Egyptian national team’s technical director, Hossam Hassan. After ensuring the historic qualification, the coach did not hesitate to raise the Palestinian flag in front of the cameras and send a dedication to the besieged sector.
Writer Yasser Al-Za’atra shared the Egyptian coach’s speech, and described his position as a beautiful gesture towards his Palestinian brothers. Al-Za’atra pointed out that the people of Gaza and all of Palestine watched the match amidst the destruction and miserable tents, and he thanked all the liberals.
Commentators believed that the football scenes intertwined with the pulse of the issue, so that Gaza once again proved its ability to create life and joy from the womb of suffering, and for Egypt to confirm that the compass of its people does not deviate from Palestine.
