Palestinian Mohammed Ghannam is seen at his football stadium destroyed by Israeli airstrikes recently in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 7, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
An online fund-raising campaign helps rekindle the hope of a young Palestinian man in Gaza to rebuild his football stadium destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
GAZA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Mohammed Ghannam, a young Palestinian from a refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon knowing that the football stadium he runs would be restored after being destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
The stadium was damaged along with other properties near a military site of the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that came under the heavy Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
"Without any prior notice, I lost my five-a-side soccer playground that was my only income source to keep my family afloat amid the current hard living conditions," the 35-year-old man told Xinhua.
Palestinian Mohammed Ghannam is playing football at his stadium destroyed by Israeli airstrikes recently in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 7, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Ghannam said he rented the soccer stadium from the local municipality three years ago to host training of football players and children who love playing this popular game. He barely earned 20 U.S. dollars a day to support his family.
"Almost succeeding in saving some money to get married, (the Israeli strikes) shattered all my dreams," he lamented.
But quickly his friends extended help to him. Diana al-Maghraby, one of Ghannam's friends, decided to initiate an online charity campaign to raise funds for rebuilding the stadium.
"Under the hashtag 'Break Our Weakness' to tell people such as Ghannam that they are not alone and that we will work together to help them restore their lives," said al-Maghraby.
Palestinian Mohammed Ghannam is seen playing football at his stadium destroyed by Israeli airstrikes recently in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 7, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Immediately, thousands of online messages from Gazans were posted to express their solidarity with Ghannam, while many of them also donated money.
The campaign even caught local authorities' attention, with officials promising to start rebuilding the stadium within the upcoming days.
Mohammed Salama, another organizer of the campaign, told Xinhua that frequent Israeli raids have stripped many Gazans of their only source of livelihood, and they all face difficulties in rebuilding ruined homes or facilities.
Palestinian Mohammed Ghannam is seen at his football stadium destroyed by Israeli airstrikes recently in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 7, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
"I hope that the campaign will be able to convey the voice of these people locally and globally to help them and provide them with support until they get back on their feet again," Salama said.
Thousands of residential and commercial facilities have been destroyed in massive air raids launched by Israel against the besieged Palestinian enclave since 2007, leaving more than 2.3 million people there impoverished.
The Hamas-run Ministry of Public Works and Housing estimated the cost of rebuilding the total damaged properties in the Gaza Strip at 4 billion dollars.
However, due to the impact of tight Israeli blockade and lack of funding, the reconstruction process in Gaza Strip has been painfully slow. ■
