With the opening whistle of the first match of the "Cup of the Thousand Martyrs," football is back in Gaza, marking its return on Friday after a suspension of nearly three years due to the war.
But Gaza's sporting community has suffered heavy losses. Around 565 members of the Palestinian Football Association were killed during the war, while the overall death toll across the Palestinian sports community exceeded 1,000.
"We face many obstacles. As you can see, we are playing on a five-a-side pitch because all sports facilities in the southern governorates were destroyed by the Israeli occupation," said Sami Abu Al-Hussein, assistant secretary general of Palestinian Football Association.
Israel destroyed more than 50 of Gaza's 56 sports clubs and 285 sports facilities during the war, leaving few places for players to train or compete.
"This match, after three years of war, sends a powerful message that we are a people who love life, through sport and other aspects of life. We are a people who want to live, and this is the message we want to send to the world through sport," said Raji Ashour, coach of Shabab Rafah Club.
Meanwhile, at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank, the first match of West Bank clubs also kicked off at the same time, as Palestinian football returned across different locations.
With Gaza's football stadiums destroyed, local clubs are forced onto small, five-a-side pitches. Yet even under these conditions, the sport game is underway again.
Palestinian football games reappear in Gaza after 3 years
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he is ready for trilateral talks with the United States and Russia "even tomorrow," though the timing ultimately depends on Moscow.
In a phone call with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Zelensky agreed to a planned meeting in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, according to Ukrainian sources. "We are ready to meet at any time, even tomorrow, but it all depends on the Russian side," he said.
Zelensky stressed that the top priority is ensuring the talks take place. He also expressed hope that European and other partners could join the U.S. in the discussions, and stressed the need to hold the trilateral talks at the leaders' level, saying it is necessary to move from technical-level negotiations to a meeting of leaders, as key issues can only be resolved at the highest level.
On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that trilateral negotiations on security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine will begin in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. He noted that the format is still being discussed, but did not rule out future European participation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that following a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Witkoff, Russia and the U.S. had agreed to restart the trilateral process. He clarified that the goal is to discuss how to ensure long-term security for both Russia and Ukraine after a final peace agreement is reached, rather than simply pursuing a temporary ceasefire.
Zelensky says Ukraine expects trilateral talks with U.S., Russia as early as possible
Zelensky says Ukraine expects trilateral talks with U.S., Russia as early as possible
