Qatar defeated Jordan on Saturday in the final of the AFC Asian Cup, a soccer tournament that took place as the war in the Gaza Strip continues, and it was not entirely detached from the conflict. Throughout the championship, VIPs from around the world, including from Arab states and those linked to Hamas, visited the stadiums in Qatar, which hosted the tournament.
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One of the images from the championship that caused a stir on Arab social media was a photo of the son of Hamas political bureau chairman Ismail Haniyeh, Abed Haniyeh, watching the tournament from the stands at one of the games in Qatar. The photo seemed to be from a match against South Korea, although it was noted that several photos of the son were circulated claiming to be from the championship in Qatar, which later turned out to be old.
Nevertheless, the photo from the match against South Korea quickly circulated on social media, drawing criticism. Users were angered that Haniyeh's son was enjoying himself in Qatar while Gaza is at war.
"This picture of Abed Salam Haniyeh, watching competitions ... is his latest concern. The Gaza Strip is destroyed, and he has no problem with that, 30,000 or 40,000 are dead, people left homeless," one detractor posted on social media.
Another incident occurred after the match between the Iranian and Palestinian national teams, which Iran won 4-1. In videos circulated on social media from the game, chants against Israel could be heard.
Still, the most talked-about reaction was a photo claiming to show the father of the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, seen watching a video message from Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas, while sitting in the stands at the stadium. Throughout the war, Abu Obeida released several videos in which he appeared, delivering messages from the terror organization and Qatar, one of the main intermediaries in the war between Israel and Hamas.
IDF spokesperson in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, also addressed the controversy surrounding the photo of Haniyeh's son, tweeting that he didn't know if it was from that day or the previous year. Still, the message is clear: Hamas leadership doesn't care about the residents of Gaza. Even the newspaper Al-Mutaiwah, which the IDF has begun distributing in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, referred to the photo in its latest edition and even chose it for its front page.