The Palestinian Federation announced that the Thousand Martyrs Cup, held in memory of 1014 athletes killed by Israel, will resume football competitions in Palestine in September after a three-year break.
The event will take place in three different regions and will gather 226 clubs. Among them are 146 teams from the occupied West Bank, 44 teams from the Gaza Strip, and 36 teams from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The director explained that Israel's response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, 'created difficult conditions for all Palestinians, which led to the suspension of competitions and activities.'
Jibril Radjoub added that 'we have not lost our national will, nor our conviction that sport continues to be a symbol of hope and life.'
The Palestinian Federation has also appealed to FIFA and other organizations for support during a period of 'serious financial difficulties,' as well as to protect the right of players, children, and clubs to engage in sports 'freely and with dignity.'
Recently, the Palestinian Football Federation approached FIFA, questioning whether it 'can still apply its rules equally to everyone... without yielding to political pressure.'
The organization has long demanded that FIFA impose sanctions on Israeli clubs located in the occupied territories of the West Bank, as well as suspend Israel's membership.
Around 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, near almost three million Palestinians.
Radjoub emphasized: 'We are not demanding privileges. We are demanding legal rights guaranteed by sports laws and statutes.'
Furthermore, the director reported that the Palestinian national team will play a friendly match against China in September as well.
Gaza authorities indicate that the military campaign launched by the Israeli army against the Palestinian enclave after October 7, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of at least 73,381 people and injuries to 174,231 people.
During the attack carried out by Hamas elements on southern Israel on that day, about 1,200 people were killed, and 251 were taken captive. The war, which began a few hours later in the Palestinian enclave, caused a humanitarian catastrophe, the destruction of almost all infrastructure in the territory, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
