Daboub, who is from Tunisia, acknowledged it will be difficult for players to focus on football while many have families in danger.
“With the death and destruction in Gaza, the players are in a difficult psychological state,” Daboub said.
But for Susan Shalabi, the vice-president of the Palestine Football Association, there’s no question that the players and the people want the games to go ahead.
“This is a people that wants to be heard and seen by the rest of the world, wants to live normally like everyone else, so people care about their national team,” Shalabi said. “It represents the yearning to be recognised as a free and sovereign nation.”
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Where China stands on the Israel-Gaza war
Where China stands on the Israel-Gaza war
Appearing at the World Cup in 2026 would be a dream for a team that has never come close to reaching the finals via the Asian Football Confederation’s qualifying route.
“There is no match that you can win in advance,” Daboub said. “But we have a good chance of reaching the next round of the World Cup qualifiers.”
“We will do our best,” Daboub said. “Football is the most popular game in the world. It brings people together. We aspire to achieve good results and qualify to show the Palestinian identity and that this is a people who deserve life and love peace.”
The team’s two buses were accompanied by several police vehicles and armed officers as it left the airport.
Israel revises down death toll as deadly strikes hit Gaza hospitals, school
Israel revises down death toll as deadly strikes hit Gaza hospitals, school
There was also tight security at the hotel where the team was staying ahead of Sunday’s game. Police officers created a security perimeter at the hotel that the public and journalists were not allowed to cross.
The Israeli football federation posted video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing players getting off the team bus on its way to the airport in Israel to take cover by the roadside, apparently amid nearby rocket fire.
“Nothing will stop us on our way to Euro 2024,” the federation wrote.
It is the first match Israel plays since the October 7 attack by Hamas and the ongoing war in Gaza. It had originally been scheduled for October 15.
Israel is third in Group I of Euro 2024 qualifying, behind Romania and Switzerland but with two games in hand. It has never qualified for a European Championship since joining UEFA in 1994, and will now have to play four games in 10 days as it seeks to do so.