Gaza Residents Also Celebrate Spain's Victory Over Argentina
The Spanish national team’s victory over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup brought joy to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They took to the streets to celebrate Rodri and his teammates becoming world champions. La Furia Roja won 1-0 against Argentina after 120 minutes of extra time in the final at the New Jersey Stadium on Monday (20/7/2026). Spain scored through Ferran Torres in the second half of extra time, in the 106th minute, after a 0-0 draw during the regulation 90 minutes. Argentina lost midfielder Enzo Fernandez to a second yellow card at the end of normal time. After the final whistle, another Argentine player, Leandro Paredes, was shown a red card. As a result, Spain claimed their second world champion trophy, the first being in 2010, 16 years ago. Lionel Messi and his team were left disappointed as their mission to defend the title they won four years earlier failed. The happiness was not only felt by the citizens and kingdom of Spain after defeating Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final. Palestinians in Gaza also celebrated Spain’s victory. According to Anadolu Agency, on Monday (20/7), Palestinians watched the World Cup final together in the streets. They watched on a large screen showing the match between Spain and Argentina. In addition, Palestinians were seen carrying Spanish and Palestinian flags. The flags of both nations were occasionally waved. Cheers erupted among the Palestinians when Spain scored against Argentina. They stood up, raised their hands, and smiled with joy when Spanish striker Ferran Torres broke through Argentina’s goal. In their excitement, one Palestinian even lifted the plastic chair he was sitting on. They also chanted music when Spain won the match. The Palestinian Mission to the UN also mocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support for Argentina by posting a poster of Spain as champions. The official X account of the Palestinian Mission to the UN posted a poster featuring images of the Spanish national team players and the World Cup trophy. The poster read ‘World Champions’. The Palestinian Mission to the UN also included the logos of the Palestinian and Spanish flags and a red-and-yellow heart as a form of support for Spain. Spain is one of the first European countries to declare support for Palestinian independence. The post by the official Palestinian account at the UN was a response to a post by the official Israeli PM account expressing Netanyahu’s support for Argentina. In the post, Netanyahu stated that Argentine President Javier Milei was his friend, which was why he supported Argentina.