Terrace crowds are controlled by men wearing army fatigues and holding Kalashnikov rifles, players and press pray on the pitch at half-time and when the final whistle is blown, the trophy is handed to the winning captain by one of Israel's most wanted men.

The beautiful game is inordinately popular in the tiny strip of 1.5 million people. The Palestinian national soccer squad has no less than 15 players representing Gaza and over the past 50 years dozens of teams have flourished, each with its own affiliation to different political groups.