Palestinian coach finds strength and guidance from mother living in Gaza tent

Coach Ehab Abu Jazar is leading a national side carrying the hopes and heartbreak of Palestinian football, but his strongest source of motivation is his mother, who has been forced by the war to live in a tent in Gaza.

After the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, all Palestinian league matches were suspended, leaving athletes abroad anxiously watching the conflict unfold. Despite living amid destruction, Abu Jazar’s mother continues to guide him, offering tactical advice by phone whenever she has electricity and signal.

“She only talks to me about the team. She wants my focus to remain on the tournament,” the 45 year old manager told AFP. “She asks about the players, the starters, the tactics and the morale inside the camp.”

A former left back, Abu Jazar says he wants his players to reflect the resilience of Gazans like his mother. “We are a small Palestinian family representing a much larger one,” he said, calling it “positive pressure.”

Palestine, ranked 96th by FIFA, missed out on their first World Cup this year but remain close to the Arab Cup quarter finals. Most of the squad have never been to Gaza, yet their performance continues to send a message of endurance. A draw against Syria on Sunday would secure a historic place in the last eight.

Abu Jazar took charge of the national team last year after coaching the under 23s. His family home was destroyed in the war, displacing his mother along with thousands of others in the enclave. He says the emotional burden was heavy at the start of the conflict, but insists that Palestinians “possess the genes of resilience.”

“If we surrender or give in, we as a people will disappear,” he said.

His mother, known as Umm Ehab, follows the team’s matches from Al Mawasi camp, often struggling to find enough power to run a television. “My mother and siblings work hard to watch the games. They think about how to manage the generator and buy fuel,” he said.

Their determination continues to push him forward. “This is what keeps us standing and motivates us to bring joy to our people,” he said. “These circumstances drive us to fight on the field until the last breath.”