Gaza’s Shabab Jabaliya football club, once a thriving hub of athletic development, has been reduced to rubble by Israeli ground forces, forcing 120 displaced Palestinians to seek refuge in what remains of the complex—now called Sesame Street Camp.
A temporary displacement site known as “Sesame Street Camp” now stands on the former five-a-side football pitch of Shabab Jabaliya Club in northern Gaza, following an Israeli ground assault in May 2024.
The site, named by a donor, has become home to around 120 displaced people.
Before its destruction, the 2-acre club grounds in Jabaliya included a three-storey administrative building, a gym, and training halls. Director Walid Shaheen, who has led the club since 2012, estimated losses of nearly $1 million.
“I started developing it at the expense of my primary job and my family time,” he said.
Founded in 1994, Shabab Jabaliya—known as the “Northern Rebels”—competed in the Palestinian Premier League and was one of Gaza’s leading sports institutions.
Since the start of Israel’s air and ground operations in October 2023, the club has lost not just its infrastructure, but many of its people. Club striker Muhammad al-Malfooh and his uncle, coach Nihad al-Malfooh, were among those killed in a December assault. According to a survivor cited by Masrawy media, Israeli forces initially permitted the men to return home before targeting the residence and killing everyone inside.
Player Adham Khattab described Muhammad as “more than just a teammate… we were like brothers.”
Additional fatalities include board member Muhammad Hijazi, youth coach Deeb Barakat, and multiple Premier League players, including Mustafa Shaheen, Muhannad Arouq, and Jihad Qaddous. From the youth squad, goalkeeper Karim Hammad and others such as Wahib Ouda and Ahmed Mansour were also killed.
Club captain Ahmad Amira, who spent seven years on the first team, said returning to the site after the January 2025 ceasefire was painful. “It felt like a part of me was taken away,” he said. Fan Abu Khaled recalled walking past tanks at the destroyed entrance while fleeing to Gaza City, grieving the memories tied to the club since 2000.
The club's first goalkeeper, Ramzi Saleh, went on to play professionally for Egypt’s Al Ahly SC.
But rebuilding remains uncertain. “Most of the board and players are displaced,” said Amira.
Director Shaheen believes sports will remain a low priority amid Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. “Right now, people are focused on securing food, water and shelter,” he said. He also criticised the lack of international response. “No sports body—FIFA included—has contacted us. We haven’t heard a single condemnation.”
For Gaza’s athletes and sports institutions, recovery from this devastation may take far longer than rebuilding pitches or clubhouses.
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