GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Zahra Ghanbari and her Iran team stood while their national anthem played at the Women’s Asian Cup soccer tournament on Monday, a long way from the war that started on the weekend with a major attack by Israel and the United States.
Before the opening loss against South Korea, Iran head coach Marziyeh Jafari declined to comment on the military strikes or the death of her country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the squad needed to focus on the tournament.
The mood was mostly sombre during the anthem, although there were some smiles to acknowledge supporters at the Gold Coast stadium. And then it was down to the business of football.
South Korea, runners-up at the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, won 3-0 despite the dogged defense of the Iranians anchored by goalkeeper Maryam Yektaei.
The South Koreans had 20 shots in the first half but only led 1-0 at the break on Choe Yu-ri's goal in the 37th minute. She swooped on the rebound when Jang Sel-gi's angled left-foot shot deflected off the post.
Kim Hye-ri converted from the penalty spot in the 59th minute and Ko Yoo-jin finished off the scoring with a well-timed glancing header in the 75th.
“We definitely could have scored a few more — missed a couple of chances — that's something we’ll definitely work on in the upcoming trainings,” South Korea substitute Casey Phair said. “But I think it was a really good starting point to start the tournament with three points.”
Ghanbari, the captain, was substituted off late in regulation. Her team had only 21% of possession in the game and had just three shots at goal compared with 32 for the South Koreans.
A small pocket of Iran fans chanted and waved red, white and green flags, including the pre-Islamic revolution flag.
One of the Iran team's biggest targets at the tournament is to secure a place in the Women's World Cup next year in Brazil, and that will require at least a quarterfinal run in Australia.
Iran will next play tournament host Australia on Thursday at the same venue on the Gold Coast, a beachside tourist destination in Queensland state.
A tournament record crowd of 44,379 attended the opening game in Perth on Sunday to see hometown star Sam Kerr score in Australia's 1-0 win over Philippines.
After that win, Kerr acknowledged the difficult circumstances for the Iranian team.
“They’re young girls and young footballers ... we’ll treat the game like any other game and show the team the utmost respect and prepare properly,” Kerr told the tournament's Australian TV broadcaster.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women's Asia Cup soccer match between Iran and South Korea on the Gold Coast, Australia, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)/AAP Image via AP)/AAP Image via AP)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some Palestinians say they fear the widening war sparked by U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran could overshadow the fragile situation in Gaza, just over a week after U.S. President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for the territory's reconstruction and tried to nudge a ceasefire forward.
Residents say they are scared of neglect and deprivation, with Israel in the wake of the weekend strikes closing all crossings into their shattered territory of over 2 million people.
COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, has closed crossings into the territory and frozen the entrance and exit of humanitarian workers because, it says, the crossings cannot not be safely operated under fire. It said crossings would reopen as soon as the security situation allows.
It said that Palestinians there have enough food stockpiled, though some organizations warned they could soon run out of supplies.
Palestinians told The Associated Press they were rushing to markets, haunted by memories of painful food scarcity last year under months of Israel's blockade. Part of Gaza, around Gaza City, was found to be in famine.
“When the crossings shut down, everything was suspended from the market," said Osamda Hanoda from Khan Younis. "The prices go up, and people live in misery."
The shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire had led to more humanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, even as the United Nations and aid partners say more of everything from basic medical supplies to fuel is needed.
Now, Palestinians are hoarding again, with reports of prices rising sharply for basic goods such as bags of flour.
“We are afraid of not finding milk" and diapers for the kids, or food and water, said Hassan Zanoun, who was displaced from Rafah.
It was not clear when any crossing might reopen. Israeli authorities focused on Iran, and citizens dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed.
The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and it's been marked from the start by restrictions on people and supplies being allowed into the territory — and terrified people, including medical evacuees in need of treatment, getting out.
A month ago, Gaza's main Rafah border crossing with the outside world — its only crossing not with Israel — reopened, allowing a small and tightly controlled flow of Palestinian traffic in both directions. No cargo was allowed through.
Now all crossings are closed again in the middle of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time of chosen deprivation, evening feasts and prayer. Images have shown Palestinians lined up at long tables in the middle of bombed-out debris.
The strikes on Iran shook that routine.
“All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and hide,” said Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City, as word of the explosions in Tehran began to spread.
Under the Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire, the heaviest fighting has subsided, though regular Israeli fire continues in Gaza. The U.N. World Food Program has noted progress in the enclave but said in its latest food security analysis last week that hunger remains.
“Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July," it said. "Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.”
The World Central Kitchen, meanwhile, warned that it would run out of supplies this week if Israel kept the strip’s crossings closed.
“We need food deliveries every single day to feed hungry families who are not part of this war,” José Andrés, the celebrity chef who founded the organization, said in a social media post.
He said WCK provides 1 million meals a day in Gaza, and that the group and others working in war-torn Gaza need food and other supplies every day.
“We cannot wait ... let the humanitarian trucks go through today!” he said.
Refocusing the world's attention on Gaza is a challenge for aid groups and others as Iran scrambles for new leadership and explosions continue in Tehran, Israel and around the Middle East.
Trump has said bombing in Iran could continue through the week or longer.
It's a dramatic turn from Trump's launch less than two weeks ago of his new Board of Peace, a gathering of world leaders that is aimed at ending the war in Gaza but has ambitions of resolving conflicts elsewhere.
Even with that bump in momentum on Gaza, major challenges remain for the ceasefire. They include disarming Hamas, assembling and deploying an international stabilization force, and getting a newly appointed Palestinian committee meant to govern Gaza into the territory.
As the Middle East turns to another war, some Palestinians see a benefit: Israel's military is distracted.
“The good thing is that the sound of booms and demolitions is rare now near the yellow line,” said Ahmed Abu Jahl, of Gaza City, speaking about the line dividing Gaza and marking out roughly half the territory controlled by Israeli forces.
"Even the drones, they are still flying overhead, but their number has gone down.”
Ezzidin reported from Cairo and Anna from Lowville, New York.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Palestinians gather for iftar, the fast-breaking meal, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
