Shabab Rafah team players warm-up ahead of their opening match against Khadamat Rafah team during the "Thousand Martyrs' Cup" football tournament, in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip on September 4, 2026. The Palestinian football association resumed activity after a nearly three-year pause due to the Gaza war. Palestinian sports leagues, including professional football, came to a halt with the war, which was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The association has named the first tournament back the "Thousand Martyrs' Cup", to honour the 1,014 Palestinian athletes killed by Israel during the war according to the association's data. (Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP via Getty Images)