A day in the life of a footballer in Gaza
Mohammed Al-Sharif was once another teenager in Gaza aspiring to become a pro footballer. In an exclusive interview with Sports Politika, he reveals how Israel's war extinguished that dream.
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There was once a time when Mohammed Al-Sharif’s life in Gaza held a simple beauty filled with the freedom to roam his city and the unending joy of playing football. However, since October 7, 2023, Israel’s relentless bombardment has not only extinguished that simple beauty, but also forced athletes like Al-Sharif—a young footballer aspiring to turn professional—to grapple with a grim reality where survival overshadows ambition.
The 18-year-old Al-Sharif began his football journey at Al Aqsa Club before joining Gaza Sports Club. However, with the onset of the war, he was forced to leave his city, seeking safety, and his footballing dreams had to be pushed aside. “The war has changed many concepts for me. Before the war, football was a refuge, a place to escape daily pressures, and a source of joy. Now there is no football and my life has changed to the daily suffering of meeting the needs of the house and looking for work to help my family,” Al-Sharif shared through Instagram messages.
Despite the constant danger, Al-Sharif risks it all for the love of the game. About a month and a half ago, he and a group of friends took up training again, determined to maintain their fitness and hold onto a semblance of normalcy amid the chaos. “This is a personal effort from us to maintain our physical fitness,” he said.
Yet even this small act of normalcy is fraught with peril. The journey to their makeshift training ground is brimming with danger, but every practice session is a reclamation of their passion. “There is a difficulty that we face due to the danger of the road and the place because there is no safe place in Gaza. Everyone is exposed to danger, especially the small stadium that we go to.”Al-Sharif added.
Then there was the loss of his older brother, Mahmoud, last year, whom had a “great impact” on Al-Sharif’s life. Mahmoud was only 24 years old when he was killed in an Israeli airstrike. “He was outside the house trying to buy food, and when he returned home, a house on the road was bombed. A shrapnel from a missile hit him in the heart and he was killed instantly.”
Mahmoud was a steadfast supporter of the family, not just with household expenses, but with providing encouragement that pushed Al-Sharif to dream.“Life without my brother and friends is not beautiful,” said Al-Sharif.
“Until this moment, I have not imagined or visualized losing them, and it is difficult to accept. After his departure, the burden and responsibility increased on me and the burdens doubled,” said Al-Sharif.
Despite this heart-wrenching loss, Al-Sharif finds strength from within himself and from his family, who continue to support him.“My brother had a dream of becoming a football player in a better place outside Gaza,” Al-Sharif said. “I will fulfill his will and continue with strength.”
But Al-Sharif's loss goes further than his brother. “I also lost 3 members of my team and many neighbors and friends,” he added. They were all killed in Israeli airstrikes. “Some of them were martyred with their families in the bombing of their home, and some of them were martyred outside the home in the streets.”
He lives in constant fear of meeting the same fate. “I feel scared and I expect that at any moment I will be exposed to an air raid and be killed.”
According to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), at least 644 athletes have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the past 15 months. At least 91 of those victims were children, and the spaces once alive with the joy of the beautiful game now lie in ruin.
Before the war, Al-Sharif’s life in Gaza was simple, his joy in playing football, unburdened. The streets, stadiums, and gatherings with friends provided a sense of belonging and peace. Movement beyond Gaza, however, was restricted by the occupation, but he could experience a degree of normalcy, pursuing his ambitions and spending time with loved ones.
That everyday life, filled with dreams and routines, now feels like a distant memory—a world overturned by war, where food prices are skyrocketing, where he has one meal a day, where he has to move from place to place to seek safety.
“My mind is distracted by fear for my family and meeting their needs for food and drink,” said Al-Sharif. Even the most basic freedoms have become a longing.
“We have been living a life of terror and nightmare for 14 months and the war is still going on. I have lost weight and my mind and I have become a skeleton without a soul. I have become tired and exhausted,” said Al-Sharif.
For months, his family has depended on donations through fundraising campaigns. They have subsisted on canned foods—beans, chickpeas, and peas—unable to afford vegetables, which are often out of reach or entirely unavailable. Putting food on the table has become a luxury.
“I hope to see Gaza a place of peace and stability,” he said, longing for a time when the weight of the occupation no longer holds back the aspirations of the youth. Despite the challenges, he remains hopeful that one day, when the war ends, sports will return to Gaza in full swing, and athletes like him will once again find sanctuary in the stadiums, chasing the dreams that have been paused for far too long.
His frustrations, though, extend far beyond the physical devastation of his surroundings. Al-Sharif feels abandoned by the global football community, which he believes has turned a blind eye to the suffering in Gaza. Sporting bodies like FIFA, UEFA, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) continue to resist calls to sanction Israel amid its war on Gaza. In October 2024, FIFA once again postponed a decision on the PFA’s request to ban Israel, citing ongoing evaluations after a lobbying campaign by the Israel Football Association that framed the request as a "cynical political move" and advocated for the depoliticization of sports.
“They ignored us and did not stand by us and left us to be killed in the war except for a few fans in some clubs who stood by us. As for the future, it is currently unknown. We do not know whether we will continue living or be killed because everyone is at risk and there is no safe place.”
Without a safe arena to train, Al-Sharif’s dreams of being a professional remain in limbo, overshadowed by the daily struggle to survive. “My dreams were shattered. Now I just want the war in my city to end.”
Support Mohammed’s dream of playing football professionally by donating to the GofundMe here.
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