Palestine-Iran Asian Cup Clash Overshadowed By Gaza War

Pleas for peace and sporadic pro-Palestinian demonstrations were on display in Doha on Sunday as the team's opening match of the Asian Cup against Iran fell on the 100th day of the war in Gaza. The 27,619 fans inside the Education City Stadium paused for a moment's silence for the victims of the conflict, with a solitary shout of "Free Palestine" from one fan cutting through the quiet. Supporters draped in keffiyeh scarves and the red, white, green and black Palestinian national flag clasped shoulders during their national anthem.

Outside the stadium, a mostly festive atmosphere among fans belied anger over the Israel-Hamas war, with a small demonstration of dozens of supporters breaking into chants of "Palestine, Palestine" in the fan-zone.

Youssef Nasser Issa, a biomedical engineer from Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, said attending the game was "the least we can do for our country". 

"May God help us in Gaza and Palestine, and God willing, we can win today," said the 28-year-old, clutching a Palestinian flag around his shoulders.

Lana Anshasi, another Palestinian, told AFP she was in shock from the daily scenes of carnage in Gaza. 

"I cannot handle what I'm watching in the media... you can see it's terrifying for the people in Gaza," she said. 

The 23-year-old, who now lives in Qatar, said she hoped "the world could wake up".

"We should (have a) ceasefire, and it's not happening," she added.

'Stop the war'

The war began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Hamas, considered a "terrorist" group by the United States and the European Union, also seized about 250