Palestinians in Gaza holds series of events to celebrate Qatar's hosting of 2022 FIFA World Cup

Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave of the Gaza Strip have organised a series of events to celebrate Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup and as an allied country to the Palestinian people.

For the second day in a row, Maher Abu Daqa, a Khan Younis-based farmer, distributed flowers to the local people for free to celebrate Qatar.

"I am going to distribute about 30,000 flowers on this special occasion to present a gesture of loyalty to the State of Qatar," the 42-year-old father of five said to The New Arab. "For years, Qatar supports us in Gaza and helped us a lot, mainly during and after the Israeli wars (...) it has achieved several miracles in rebuilding the Gaza Strip."

He adds, "I decided to express my happiness about it as it will host the most important international event in my way. Qatar is the first Arab country to host such an event and this pushes us Palestinian and Arabs to be proud of it."

Residents in the area praised Abu Daqa's initiative as the Palestinian people's love for Qatar, according to those who separately spoke to TNA.

"I am looking forward to witnessing this event since I was 15 years only, even before Qatar politically supports us," Hamdi Nabhan, a Gaza-based young man, told TNA.

He opined that Arabs, in general, and Palestinians, in particular, will gain many benefits after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as Qatar has succeeded in proving to the "western world" that the Middle East region is in the same standard, and may sometimes be better than the Europeans.

"I am so happy as I will watch all matches in Gaza for free as Qatar will distribute big screens on the streets to show them for us," he added.

"This is an honour for all of us and raises our heads high," Ismael Khader, another Gaza-based young man, said to TNA. "I hope for Qatar's success in organising this tournament, and for the success of all the participating Arab teams, in providing the best performance during the tournament and reaching advanced roles."

"Qatar's success is a Palestinian and Arab success and this is a great honour for all. Qatar's love and brotherhood did not skimp on our Palestinian people," Khader added. 

On Tuesday, a non-government Wafaa Al-Muhsinin Charitable Foundation organised a symbolic football match in the Gaza Strip that simulates the opening of the World Cup finals in Qatar.

The match took place in the Khan Younis Sports Stadium in the southern Gaza Strip, where it began with the Qatari and Palestinian national anthems.

The fans in the stadium raised Qatari flags, and the organisers hung a large banner that read: "I am a Palestinian and I support Qatar."

On the other hand, the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip announced on Tuesday that the 2022 Qatar World Cup matches will be shown in a sports hall in Gaza City.

In a press statement sent to TNA, the committee said that "we will display all matches in the Martyr Saad Sail Hall in Gaza City, in coordination with the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports."

The committee invited people to attend the launch ceremony of the Qatar World Cup 2022 and the opening match between the teams of Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday, 20 November, at 4:00 pm in the same hall.