Gaza’s football fans back ‘friends’ Spain to beat England in Euro 2024

Amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, football fans in the besieged territory will back Spain in its bid to beat England for Euro 2024 glory.

Deir el-Balah, Gaza – When Spain take the field at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium for their Euro 2024 final against England on Sunday, they will be cheered on by millions of fans around the world.

From the capital Madrid in central Spain to Barcelona in the northeastern Catalonia region, the La Roja – as the Spanish football team is lovingly known – will have plenty of support as they seek their fourth European title.

And more than 3,500km (2,175 miles) from Spain, football fans in Gaza will wholeheartedly back Alvaro Morata and his men.

The people in the war-torn Strip will back their Spanish friends against England after the European nation voiced strong support for Palestinians since the early days of the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza.

Omar Ghayyad, a 36-year-old mathematics teacher with UNRWA – the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees – and his brother Mohammed have faced displacement three times during Israel’s 10-month-long war on the territory.

Eight of their relatives, including Omar’s two daughters, were killed when their house in the Nusairat Refugee Camp was flattened by Israeli bombardment in the first few months into the war.

Amid the ineffable pain of loss and the struggles of continuous displacement, the Ghayyad brothers along with their friends and relatives seek respite in football.

Both brothers are avid fans of the Real Madrid football club and tried to stay abreast of their favourite team’s exploits in the Spanish and European leagues from their makeshift tent in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Now, with Spain on the precipice of success, they have turned their support towards La Roja in Euro 2024.

On the eve of the final, football fans told Al Jazeera they will try to create a fun-filled atmosphere in their tent to find some distraction and repay Spain’s support for Palestine.

“Since this genocide started, Spain’s solidarity with us has been amazing – be it recognising Palestine’s statehood or backing South Africa in its International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel,” Omar said on Friday.

“We can see how passionate Spanish fans are [about Gaza] when they wave the Palestinian flag during their football matches.”

The Real Madrid fan said he cannot wait to see his favourite club’s Spanish defender Dani Carvajal lift the trophy on Sunday.

‘How can I support my family’s murderers?’

Should Spain manage to beat England in Berlin, the Gaza-based fans’ joy will be doubled.

“The United Kingdom’s stance [during the war on Gaza] has been shameful as it has pledged military support and funding for Israel,” Omar said.

Spain and Palestine have maintained a friendly relationship in the past few years, including cultural and academic exchange programmes.

A neighbourhood in Gaza’s west is named after the Catalonian capital Barcelona after the Spanish government funded its upliftment project in 1998.

“Israeli forces have turned [the] Barcelona [neighbourhood] into a military base and this is an attack on both countries,” Omar said.

For his brother Mohammed, a laboratory technician, Spain has always been his favourite international team.

A replica shirt of former Spain captain Raul Gonzalez from the 2006 FIFA World Cup is a prized possession for the Ghayyad family.

Mohammed and his four-year-old daughter Toqa have been following the Spanish team since the start of the Euro tournament.

The 40-year-old tells Al Jazeera he planned to travel to Spain in 2004 but his dream could not materialise due to travel restrictions hampering the movement of Palestinians.

“Spain has its own liberation movements, including the Catalonian movement in Barcelona, which are similar to ours,” he said.

“Spanish fans love Palestine and their government’s position [on Gaza] has been honourable – that’s why I will support them.”

Mohammed was unforgiving of the other Euro finalists, England.

“In 1917, the UK-backed Balfour declaration [a public pledge by Britain declaring its aim to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine] became the root cause of our struggle,” he explained.

The said the country remains complicit in the current genocide.

“How can I support my murderers? I hope Spain will wipe the floor with them on Sunday.”

Both Omar and Mohammed are not sure if they will be able to watch the match live due to the horrific conditions in Gaza, but predict that Spain will win 3-1 in Berlin.