Doha, Qatar – During football player And fans all over the world are reprimanded for this Sign of solidarity with PalestineThousands gathered at Education City Stadium in Qatar to show their support and help raise money for Palestinians facing the wrath Israel’s war against Gaza.

As the sun set in the former on a windy Friday evening Qatar World Cup 2022 As a venue on the outskirts of the capital Doha, fans dressed in Palestinian colors and waving the Palestinian flag flocked to the venue in high spirits.

The “Stand with Palestine” charity game was organized by the Qatar Foundation. It was the result of an initiative by a group of students who wanted to raise money through ticket sales and draw attention to the situation in Gaza, where nearly 19,000 people, including more than 7,000 children, have been killed in the Israeli bombing since October 7.

Karim Abbas, one of the Palestinian students involved in organizing the event, said the game was being played “for the children of Palestine.”

“As a Palestinian myself, it is very difficult to see these videos [from Gaza] But then I imagine the people living through the oppression and I realize that it is much harder to endure,” a visibly emotional Abbas told Al Jazeera.

Participating teams included students from two Qatar-based schools and international football players, including former Spanish World Cup winner Javi Martinez, Moroccan international Soufiane Boufal and several Qatari national team players. One team represented Qatar, the other Palestine.

“We haven’t forgotten”

Despite the presence of global and regional stars, fans in the 40,000-capacity stadium remained focused on their main task that evening – waving the Palestinian flag and raising their voices for the people of Gaza.

“We are here to tell the people of Gaza that we have not forgotten them,” Abdellah Abdul Razzaq, a Canadian living in Qatar, said before the game.

“There is no place for genocide in 2023.”

Ahead of the game, star footballers took to the pitch and interacted with fans by signing autographs and posing for photos.

As the players returned to their locker rooms and fans waited for the game to begin, a familiar tune played on the public address system and the crowd immediately jumped to their feet.

The popular Palestinian song “Dammi Falasteeni” (My Blood is Palestinian) rang through the compact stadium and fans of all ages, economic backgrounds and nationalities sang and danced along.

For the Palestinians present in the stands, the crowd’s loud rendition of the song’s chorus triggered a surge of emotions.

“Seeing all these people, Palestinian or not, supporting the cause of Palestine makes me very happy,” Abdel Wahab al-Masri, a Palestinian living in Doha, told Al Jazeera.

“If the people of Gaza could see this support, it would give them strength and greater power to resist the occupation,” he added.

Al-Masri and his five compatriots held a large Palestinian flag as he explained how the people of his country are finding the courage to resist Israel’s occupation of their land.

“The courage and resistance that you see is something that all Palestinians grow up with,” he said, referring to social videos of Palestinian children vowing to remain steadfast in the face of adversity.

“The mental strength to understand that [Gaza] is their land and when the war is over, they must take it back and consider it as part of their education,” al-Masri said as the song played on a continuous loop.

“An unprecedented war”

Emotions were running high among everyone in the crowd, not just the Palestinians.

For Chique Leo from the Philippines, it was about showing “disgusting” world leaders that Palestinians are not alone.

“It breaks my heart to see hundreds of civilians dying every day – parents losing their daughters and sons, children losing their parents, but them.” [world leaders] They don’t care because they are busy enjoying their comfortable lifestyle,” said the 55-year-old, her voice shaking with anger.

“This is an unprecedented war and the way the world is allowing this war to continue and dehumanizing Palestinians is intolerable.”

As kick-off got closer, the number of people in the stands increased and so did the number of donations. According to organizers, 20 million Qatari riyals (US$5.5 million) were raised by the end of the game.

The lighthearted action on the field was no match for the charged crowd chanting “Palestine!” in their chants during the game.

Drum beats were followed by the roar of “Falasteen,” Mexican waves turned into Palestinian waves as thousands of flags were raised simultaneously.

The game ended in a 4-3 win (penalty shootout) for Palestine, but it was hard to tell which team represented the home crowd as players from both sides came together to wave the red-white-black-green flag for more time.