Game on for Gaza’s young amputee footballers
Gaza’s young amputee football players are back on the pitch now that coronavirus restrictions have been eased.
These young Palestinian amputee footballers are back on the pitch as Gaza’s coronavirus restrictions eased.
“We’re excited,” Mai al-Yazji, one of the football players said. “We’re training and keen to play in the league.”
Mai is preparing for a tournament for amputee teams aged under 16.
Adult amputees also have a football league.
Gaza has approximately 1,600 amputees among a population of 2 million.
Some of the athletes lost their limbs to Israeli gunfire and others through accidents, cancer or birth defects.
“When we resumed training we felt like there is someone who cares,” Abdallah Mukhaimar, a football player, said. “I would like to thank them all for the encouragement. This project rehabilitated us, and led me to discover my skills. When I started the training, I felt like I got back my amputated leg.”
This video was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Hassan Ghani.