Football as the symbolic construction of non-war reality: the dual role of football in Gaza under Hamas 2007–2023

In war zones, the quest for spaces of joy and life, emotionality, play, never goes away. People who are locked in, physically, politically or morally, become desperate to live normal lives and to have fun. Football provides an arena for meeting such demands. Thus, in Gaza under the Islamist Hamas rule from 2007 to 2023, football had a dual role. The first, mundanization, reminded people of normal life, life outside the war zone. The second, catharsis, meant an escape from everyday hardships. Football was an escape from – and to – the extraordinary at the same time. In both ways, football represented a symbolic construction of non-war reality. It became a survival strategy for the Hamas regime and for Gaza’s embattled population alike.