GAZA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Khalaf Hamad, in mid-twenties, sat with much misery in the corner of a classroom of a school shelter in Beit Lahiya town in the northern Gaza Strip after he was deprived of watching the final match of the World Cup due to the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Hamad, a supporter of Spain which left the competition at early stages, enthusiastically followed all the matches of the World Cup in Brazil until Israel launched Operation Protective Edge a week ago to end Gaza rocket fire into Israel.
Israel started its military operations on Tuesday, the day on which the semifinal game was played between Germany and Brazil.
As Hamad was preparing himself with much eagerness to watch the final, the Israeli army warned thousands of residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes.
The Israeli measures have hampered Hamad's hopes to watch Argentina playing Germany over the title of the most important sports competition in the world.
Early on Monday, Hamad and his large family sought shelter at a school run by the United Nations in Gaza. There, the young man can barely find a mattress to rest his body after a long tiresome journey from his house in the tip of northern Gaza to the center of Beit Lahiya town
Even local radios that used to live broadcast all the World Cup matches are now busy covering the hot news on Israel's operation which have so far claimed the lives of more than 170 people and injured more than 1000 others.
"It's really sad to be deprived of the least of your rights," said Hamad. "All people around the world can follow the tournament, but the people of Gaza can only focus on how to survive."
Gaza, a place addicted to soccer, turned into a ghost town as most of its 1.8 million resident have stayed indoors, fearing Israel's bloody airstrikes.
Most of cafe shops that used to be busy with soccer fans have closed their doors since the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants group started.
On the second day of the offensive, an Israeli airstrike on a seafront cafeteria in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khanyounis killed nine Palestinians and injured 20 others.
This has increased panic among soccer fans to watch the remaining matches of the World Cup.
Hamad might be unlucky, because Wael Oweda, a journalist from Gaza, was able to watch the game together with three of his friends at his home in Gaza City since he has the World Cup viewing devices.
"Despite the ongoing misery, we will challenge Israel and watch the final," he Oweda, who wore the shirt of his favorite team, Argentina.
Oweda was not the only Palestinian in Gaza who managed to watch the game.
Hamed Salseel, a local footballer in Gaza had enough luck to watch the final at his house.
"Football is a relief for me and for many in Gaza," Salseel said.
In Gaza, soccer is widely followed by people from all ages. The World Cup event is well seized by Palestinians to release their ongoing sufferings caused by the seven-year Israeli blockade and the internal political strife.
Most of Palestinians are fans of Brazil, the hosting country of the World Cup. But quite a big number of them support Algeria, Spain and Argentina.
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