A friendly solidarity match was played in Konya, Turkey, between Konyaspor and the Palestinian National Team. The match was stopped just one second before the end, “postponed until Palestine is free.” During the week, a friendly solidarity match was played in Konya, Turkey, between Konyaspor, a club that plays in the elite football team, and the Palestinian National Team, in a stadium packed with more than 40,000 spectators.
The 2-2 result was really just a detail, more than ever this time, in the face of the unsportsmanlike meaning of the evening, all dedicated to the issue of the Palestinian population, while in Gaza – a year after the ceasefire – Israel still holds most of the Strip under military control, continues to strike beyond the yellow line and allows only a portion of the agreed aid to enter, with more than 1,400 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire and with reconstruction blocked.
The participation of the Konya crowd was heartfelt and touching. Before the start of the match, a choreography was performed with the banner: “Stay silent when children sleep, not when they die.” At the 10th minute and 14th second, the lights were turned off in memory of the 1,014 members of the Palestinian sports community killed since October 7, 2023. Confetti and hundreds of stuffed animals and toys were thrown onto the field, intended for the children.
Hundreds of toys were thrown onto the pitch during a solidarity match between Turkey's Konyaspor and Palestine's national team. pic.twitter.com/3Bh1RLrEaU
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 3, 2026
The match, which was reportedly tied 2-2 at the last minute, was symbolically declared over early in the 89th minute and 59 seconds, with the announcement that it had been “postponed until Palestine is free,” a reference to the lives, hopes, and childhoods left unfinished. Of course, this is not a real sporting postponement, but a powerful message. At the end of the match, the Palestinian players were presented with flowers.
What is the situation in the Gaza Strip today: why we must not forget
Gestures like Konya’s do not – and cannot – change reality immediately, but they do keep a spotlight on a situation that, a year after the ceasefire of October 10, 2025, has become more intermittent. The ceasefire has brought some relief, but not normality: according to the Danish Refugee Council and PARC, as of October 1, 2026, around 1.8 million people – or 86% of the population of the Gaza Strip – are still living in protracted displacement.
OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in its report of 25 September, reports about 200 thousand children out of school at the beginning of the school year, shortages of oncology drugs, chemotherapy, dialysis and insulin, as well as 451 areas at risk of flooding, where more than 464 thousand people are sheltering, with insufficient supplies for the winter. On 2 October, the WHO, the World Health Organization, called for a massive influx of aid before the cold: almost two million people need shelter and the entrances remain concentrated in Kerem Shalom, while the other main crossing points are closed. In this context, a rain of teddy bears and a match interrupted a second before the end are a reminder that, ceasefire or not, in Gaza lives, homes and childhoods remain unfinished.
