The lifting of the Palestinian flag by Egypt’s national team manager, Hossam Hassan, and his dedication of the victory to the Palestinian people, has sparked a wave of anger across Israeli media circles. The media viewed this move as a direct political challenge that transcends the boundaries of sports.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the Egyptian manager made history by leading his country to the World Cup Round of 16 for the first time after winning their first-ever knockout match. However, he utilized the platform to raise the flag of Palestine and dedicate the victory to the residents of the Gaza Strip, wishing them victory.
Channel 12 cites “FIFA Rules Violation”
The Hebrew channel added that Hassan—Egypt’s all-time historic top scorer—raised the flag of an “entity” not participating in the tournament, calling it a violation of FIFA regulations. This action drew resentment and anger from Israelis, particularly since Egypt is bound by a peace treaty with Israel. This comes amidst scenes of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza emerging from their tents and destroyed homes to watch the match and express their joy over the Egyptian team’s victory.
The Hebrew channel pointed out that the Egyptian national team achieved its first-ever win in World Cup history following draws with Belgium and Iran, and a victory over New Zealand. Meanwhile, a resident of Gaza described the scene as a “moment of life amidst the destruction,” where faces were filled with smiles and the air was filled with cheers.
Yedioth Ahronoth: Solidarity on a global platform
In the same context, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth—widely considered the most circulated Hebrew daily—stated that Egypt’s national team manager chose to exploit the global platform to show solidarity with the Palestinians following Egypt’s historic qualification for the World Cup Round of 16, where he raised the Palestinian flag and dedicated the achievement to the Palestinian people.
The Hebrew newspaper added that following the match, which ended with Egypt defeating Australia on penalties after a scoreless draw in both regular and extra time, Hassan stated that his heart and soul are with the Palestinians. He added that he dedicates this victory to both the Egyptian and Palestinian peoples, describing them as “good and generous people.” The paper noted that his words resonated widely across the Arab world and spread rapidly across social media platforms.
Joy in the tents of Gaza and Egyptian team dynamics
The newspaper pointed out that Egyptian celebrations spread throughout the Gaza Strip, where residents gathered to watch the match amidst destroyed buildings and tents, with children raising Egyptian flags. It quoted a Gaza resident who said he was following the World Cup with this level of enthusiasm for the very first time.
Additionally, the Hebrew daily mentioned that superstar Mohamed Salah spoke about the atmosphere within the national team, emphasizing his maturity, his leadership of the players, and his efforts to create a comfortable environment for them.
Pre-match scuffles and social media backlash
The newspaper also reported an incident involving a Dallas police officer who pushed the team manager, Ibrahim Hassan, and player Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” while they were attempting to take a photo with a fan. However, it confirmed that this did not affect the preparations of the team.
Meanwhile, the Israeli news website Walla commented on the scene of raising the Palestinian flag, stating:
“The manager of the Egyptian national team celebrated with the flag of Palestine and said: ‘May God have mercy on their martyrs.'”
The Hebrew website also quoted a tweet from a settler who wrote: “Anyone who does not support Argentina in its upcoming match against Egypt is a hater of Israel and a hater of football.”
i24NEWS: “A historic dedication”
Meanwhile, the Israeli channel i24NEWS commented in a report titled “World Cup 2026: Egypt Dedicates Its Historic Victory to the Palestinian People,” stating that at the final whistle, manager Hossam Hassan dedicated the victory “to the Egyptian people and the Palestinian people,” adding: “We ask God to grant them victory and have mercy on their martyrs.”
He then appeared on the pitch carrying both the Egyptian and Palestinian flags, while the players prostrated (performed Sujood) in celebration of their qualification. On social media, Palestinians widely praised the victory, and images broadcast from Gaza showed massive gatherings of residents watching the match, with many of them carrying Egyptian flags.
Breaking the media blockade: A clash with Argentina awaits
This Israeli media escalation comes amid intense sensitivity toward any appearance of Palestinian symbols in international forums. Israel typically seeks to isolate the Palestinian cause politically and in the media; however, the Egyptian athletic brilliance and the manager’s transformation of the World Cup platform to express solidarity with Gaza broke this media blockade.
This ignited the anger of Israeli circles, who viewed the act as a political message par excellence that transcends the boundaries of the pitch and brings the Palestinian cause back to the forefront of global attention, despite ongoing attempts at erasure.
Egypt is now set to clash in the next round with the reigning world champions, Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. The South American side narrowly defeated Cape Verde—the representative of the African continent—to set up what will be a highly difficult challenge next Tuesday.
