Before October 7, Khalid Mohammed Abu-Habel had managed to juggle his two passions in life: Football and becoming a doctor, Al Jazeera reports.
Last year, the 22-year-old won the third-tier championship to earn a promotion to the Al Ataa club from Khan Younis. But now, Abu-Habel spends most of his time volunteering at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir El-Balah as an emergency doctor, working for more than 72 hours a week, sometimes even longer.
He and his family have also been displaced from their home in the Maghazi refugee camp more than once.
“I was fully prepared to put on stellar displays on the pitch this season, but everything has changed due to the Israeli aggression,” he said. “It has now been three months since I kicked a ball.”
Read more on the Gaza footballer’s journey here.