Gaza forms first women’s table tennis team

Caption Gaza – Mohamed Habib The Aljazeera Sports Club in Gaza has announced the formation of Gaza’s first women’s table tennis team. The Club’s manager, Ali Al Nazli, considers this an important step in getting women involved in sport. He also believes that the new team reinforces the firm Palestinian stand against Israel, by affirming the Palestinian right to participate in sports and other activities according to Islamic and cultural laws. In an interview with Arabstoday, Al Nazli said that the new team includes women who have participated in other prestigious competitions. The club will help these women to further develop their skills. The manager explained that young Palestinian sportsmen have suffered because Israel has targeted sporting infrastructure and sportspersons.  The FIFA Football Union Stadium, the Rafah stadium and the Al Mashtal stadium have all been damaged in Israeli attacks. This has meant that sport in Gaza requires more attention from the international community. The club provides services to women, children and disabled people. Although it faces limitations as a result of the occupation, including struggling to receive sports gear, the club aims to provide Palestinians with a leisurely and carefree atmosphere to distract them from the wider political and economic pressures that they are under.