JAKARTA - Israeli troops reportedly stormed the stadium and fired tear gas into the stands and fields during the 2023 Yasser Arafat Cup final between Balata FC and Jabal Al-Mukaber at Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium, Palestine.
This incident resulted in casualties among Palestinian supporters who were present watching.
Local news agency Football Palestine posted the tear gas shooting incident to Twitter. They wrote the League Cup final was unlikely to continue after Israeli troops stormed the stadium in the first half and fired tear gas into the stands and fields.
Football Palestine said the match was not attended by many spectators, so the effect of tear gas fire was non-lethal for supporters.
But imagine if this Israeli attack occurred during a national team match, there could be deaths because the audience's capacity could reach 120,000 people exceeding the stadium's capacity.
The captain of Balata FC, Saed Abu Saleem, even said that the Israeli troop's tear gas seeped into the dressing room and the players until it collapsed. Meanwhile, according to Twitter @ytirawi, dozens of supporters in the stands were injured as a result of being shot by tear gas.
BREAKING: More pictures coming in from Faisal Al-Husseini stadium. League Cup final unlikely to resume after Israeli forces stormed the stadium at halftime and fired teargas into the stands and onto the pitch. pic.twitter.com/y5BxGnirA8
— FootballPalestine.com (@FutbolPalestine) March 30, 2023
Indonesian football observer, Aun Rahman, sees Israel's attack on Faisal Stadium as an extraordinary situation. This is because the law of war prohibits the military from attacking public objects unless used as military headquarters.
"Israel's attack on Faisal Stadium is extraordinary situation. Because the law of war prohibits the military from attacking public objects," Aun said in a written statement.
Aun reported that former Persib Bandung player Mo Rashid was suspected of being a victim in the incident. Mi Rahid is said to be currently playing for the club in the match.
"I personally have tried to contact Mo Rashid (the Palestinian player in the match, he has played in Persib Bandung). To find out the news and situation there. But so far there has been no response," he said.
Furthermore, Aun said that Faisal Stadium should not be attacked because it is located in the Al-Ram, West Bank, which is a "neutral zone" where there should be no gun battle there.
However, the conflict and restriction situation in the Gaza and West Bank regions makes the situation ideal for Palestinian footballers. They even had to undergo hours of inspection just to cross.
"This then made the Palestinian League unable to run properly. In the end, the Palestinian League only included clubs domiciled in West Bank," he said.
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