Name: Palestinian kids fear soccer dreams lost under Israeli order
Uploaded: 2026-01-21T13:56:17.617Z
Duration: 3 min 55 s
Description: A football pitch in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank faces demolition by Israeli authorities. It is a rare space for play for local children but Israeli authorities argue it is a secuirty risk..

A football pitch in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank faces demolition by Israeli authorities. It is a rare space for play for local children but Israeli authorities argue it is a secuirty risk..

Tel Aviv-Yafo

A soccer pitch in the Aida refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where around 250 Palestinian children train weekly, faces demolition following an order from Israeli authorities. The pitch, operating since 2021, is the only playground in the densely populated camp and is located next to Israel's separation wall.

Israeli officials cite security and permit issues for the demolition, while locals and international observers argue the order is illegal under international law. The potential loss of the pitch has raised fears for the children's future, with calls for intervention from global soccer organizations remaining unanswered.

Palestinian kids fear soccer dreams lost under Israeli order

For some of these young women, soccer is not just a hobby. A few have already played for the national team of Palestine. Their dedication is infectious and reaches the very young. One of the girls here today is just seven. About 250 children train here every week. Bizan joined one and a half years ago. I love to play soccer. My big dream is that one day I will go and play for Barcelona. Just an ordinary soccer field where ordinary children have the same dreams as millions of others. But nothing here in Aida camp is normal. When you zoom out, you will see that this pitch lies right next to Israel's separation wall. It blocks Palestinians from going into Jerusalem unless they have a special permit. Now Israeli authorities don't like that the pitch is here and they want it gone. It's been operating since 2021, but its dates are now numbered. A demolition order was issued in December claiming the pitch lacks a building permit. When we asked the Israeli defense force about it, they said it was a security matter. Like the separation wall, that demolition order is widely considered illegal under international law. What worries us the most is what will happen to the kids. Where will they go? What's their future going to be? There's no other space. It's the only space for children to breathe. The pitch is the main playground in the Aida camp, one of the most densely populated refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Here the walls speak of Palestinian desire to return to the hometowns and villages they were displaced from as the result of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. Bizan was born here 11 years ago. Her neighborhood is scarred by Israeli raids. They have been more frequent since October 7, 2023. Bizan tells us how Israeli soldiers raided her family's home two years ago. No one was detained. It happened at night. We were sleeping. We heard a loud noise. My parents woke us up. They told us to get dressed. There were soldiers. Suddenly they came into our house. I was scared because they shot with a lot of tear gas and we could not breathe. The refugee camp is surrounded by Israeli watchtowers, settlements and checkpoints. For Bizan, soccer is a way out, away from the conflict. Through soccer I can accomplish the things I want. I want to become a professional and play with the national team and travel. But those ideas depend on the soccer pitch remaining. Without it, she can't train. My dream and the dream of the girls will vanish and we will not allow them to demolish it, no matter what happens. American children's content creator Miss Rachel has picked up the issue, urging those with reach to help save the pitch. If you are FIFA or UEFA or a famous soccer player, you need to help these kids. So far they have heard nothing from FIFA or UEFA. Bizan and her friends don't want to imagine a life without this pitch. Locals fear because they haven't dug up the pitch as ordered, that Israel's military will move in once media attention fades. How long these Palestinian children can continue working toward their dreams, uncertain.

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