The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has congratulated Moroccans on their national team’s success in reaching the semi-finals at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Faraan: Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem made the remarks in a statement on Saturday following Morocco’s historic 1-0 victory over Portugal, the Palestinian Information Center reported. “We congratulate Morocco on this great sporting achievement after its national teams qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar,” Qasem said.
“This is a historic Arab sports achievement,” he added, while expressing the movement’s best wishes for the Moroccan team in its coming matches. Meanwhile, Palestinians who gathered in large numbers in the besieged Gaza Strip to watch the Morocco-Portugal game celebrated the victory of the Moroccan team with loud cheers.
The Atlas Lions beat the Portuguese side 1-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar on Saturday. At the end of the game, the fans rallied amid cheers for Morocco and Palestine, raising the flags of both nations. Moroccan fans also raised Palestinian flags, singing Palestinian songs in the Qatari capital of Doha, as they have done in every game of this World Cup. Meanwhile Israeli forces attacked Palestinians in the occupied al-Quds as they gathered in large numbers to celebrate Morocco’s win against Portugal at the World Cup’s quarterfinals in Qatar.
Scores of Israeli forces, including police on horseback, assaulted the Palestinian fans and chased them in the vicinity of the Damascus Gate, according to Palestine’s Wafa news agency. Video posted to social media showed Israeli forces attacking and chasing Palestinians, including children. Morocco’s Atlas Lions national team became the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.
Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri recorded the sole goal in the 42nd-minute of the first half of the match when he out-jumped the Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa and nudged the ball into the goal with a header. Morocco’s victory in Qatar has touched Palestinians since the players and many of their supporters expressed solidarity on and off the field during the World Cup. Palestinian flags were regularly featured in groups of Morocco’s supporters in Qatar and among fans celebrating in Europe.
