Large crowds gathered across Gaza today to watch the World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina, with most spectators appearing to support Egypt in its 3-2 loss.
The scenes sparked discussion online, with some pointing to the irony that many Gazans passionately cheered for Egypt despite Egypt maintaining tight restrictions on its border with Gaza and generally not allowing large-scale entry from the territory.
Others focused on the size of the crowd itself, saying the scene did not match the narrative of a population supposedly being wiped out.
“Doesn’t look like genocide to me,” one critic wrote, pointing to the large number of young men gathered in public for the match.
The footage also drew attention because it shows large numbers of mostly young people gathered together in public to watch the match. While the video captures one location at one moment in time and does not by itself reflect overall conditions in Gaza, some commentators cited it as contrasting with common perceptions of daily life in the territory amid the aftermath of war and so-called genocide.
Argentina ultimately advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals with the victory, causing Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, to go ballistic after spotting a fan holding an Israeli flag.
Videos circulating online appear to show Hassan angrily shouting at the supporter, spitting in the flag’s direction after being unable to reach the fan, and shouting while wearing a shirt displaying a Palestinian flag patch. He then appeared to take out his frustration on a cameraman who was filming the incident.
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