Palestinian football returns after years of hiatus due to Gaza war

Palestinian football returned on Friday after nearly three years of halt due to the Gaza war, with club competitions kicking off in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Lebanon.

During the war, Gaza's sporting community has suffered heavy losses. Around 565 members of the Palestinian Football Association have been killed, while the overall death toll across the Palestinian sports community has exceeded 1,000. Meanwhile, Israel has destroyed more than 50 of Gaza's 56 sports clubs, and 285 sports facilities, leaving few places for players to train or compete.

The games on Friday included one at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank.

For those who survived, the competition means a return to their passion, and a step towards life again.

"It will not be easy for the sporting community to forget this painful loss. But sport must continue, and we honor their memory by keeping sporting activities going," said Bahaa Alqam, executive director of Jabal Al-Mukaber Club.

"It is a welcome moment for Palestinian fans as matches have begun and sporting activities have resumed, despite the difficult conditions Palestinians are facing, especially in Gaza. Life is beginning to resume through sport, which provides an outlet for Palestinians and embodies their national unity," said Hussam Shaheen, a former athlete.

"Palestinian clubs insisted on playing simultaneously in Gaza, the West Bank, here at Al-Ram Stadium in Jerusalem, and also in Lebanon. This is a message to the world that the Palestinian people remain committed to their unity and their right to life," said Jamal Abu Bashara, a former Palestinian national team coach.

Palestinian football returns after years of hiatus due to Gaza war

China's power battery industry maintained robust growth in the first seven months this year, with sales surging 37.1 percent year on year to 790.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh), according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The power battery industry has built a comprehensive industrial system, with its overall strength and international competitiveness continuing to rise, according to official data.

"On corporate competitiveness, Chinese firms now make up six of the world's top ten battery producers by installed capacity, holding a combined market share of over 70 percent, a rise of 3 percentage points from a year earlier. The supply of high-quality battery products has contributed positively to the steady growth of the global new-energy vehicle sector and to the transition toward low-carbon energy," said Qu Guochun, director of the Equipment Industry Development Center under the MIIT.

In addition, companies in the power battery sector have deepened their global integration by establishing overseas production facilities, launching research and development centers, and pursuing technical collaboration, Qu added.

"Power battery technology is advancing on multiple fronts, with continued breakthroughs in next-generation technologies including solid-state batteries. At the same time, full-lifecycle carbon management, supply-chain cost controls, international regulatory compliance, and intellectual property strategies have become key determinants of a company's future competitiveness," Qu said.

China's power battery sales up 37.1 pct in first 7 months in 2026