In war-torn Gaza, hopeful Palestinian amputee footballers seek to score goal on global stage

The players race across the football field on crutches.

One plants his crutches, swings his remaining leg and strikes the ball with all his strength.

The goalkeeper leaps, stretching out his one arm, but the ball curves beyond his reach and into the net, tracing an arc that would be difficult to replicate even on two legs.

In footage provided by the Palestine Amputee Football Association (PAFA), footballers in Gaza embodied the conviction that “life is stronger than death,” refusing to let their physical disabilities keep them off the pitch.

War-wounded footballers As the 2026 World Cup unfolded across North America, airstrikes continued to ravage the Gaza Strip.

With barely any electricity, residents gathered in small groups in the streets and beneath crumbling buildings to watch the matches.

When the Hankook Ilbo interviewed Gaza’s amputee footballers through voice messages on a messaging app Monday and Tuesday, shortly after Spain, the team they had supported, won the final, the players shared the same buoyant spirit felt by football fans around the world.

“We may run across th ...