Gazans play their own "World Cup" at stadium-turned shelter.

Seeing from above, the Khan Younis Municipal Stadium in Gaza looks like a sea of tents. Before the war, it hosted big football games for the region. Today, it is a camp for thousands of families who have lost their homes. In the middle of all these tents, there is a small open space, even much smaller than a basketball court. There is no grass and no real goals, but this is where the children play football. They use water to draw lines in the sand. They pile up stones to make goalposts. The ball is old and soft, but they place it carefully in the middle. Hamdan found red and blue shirts for the children. They put them on and smoothed the fabric. The boys walked in a line, shook hands, and flipped a coin to start. They did everything properly. The children play barefoot, because it helps them run fast on the sand and keeps them from ruining their only shoes. The children say football helps them forget the pain of being displaced. Across Gaza, many stadiums have been damaged or turned into shelters. As Gaza's largest sports ground, the Khan Younis Municipal Stadium was once a place of joy for local people. Now, it is a place of survival. But on the small patch of sand, the children keep playing, and the game goes on. Shotlist: Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Recent: 1. Various of tents in Khan Younis Municipal Stadium; 2. Various of children preparing football pitch; 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bilal Hamdan, football match organizer: "We live in tents now. The paths between them are very narrow. Because we found that the kids used to play in different areas alone, so we found this empty space and called the children over. As the World Cup is happening right now, so we decided to have our own competition."; 4. Various of children putting on shirts; 5. Various of children entering football field, getting ready for competition; 6. Various of children playing football; 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bilal Hamdan, football match organizer: "This game cannot change their reality. But at least, it changes their mood for the day. We want, by doing so, to send a kind message to the world, that we hope our lives can slowly get better from the current state."; 8. Various of children playing football; 9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Shawarib, displaced child (partially overlaid with shot 10): "When I play, I forget I live in a tent. I forget the war. People cheer for us, and I forget everything bad that happened. I wish this pitch could be like before, with real grass, seats, and fans, just like before the war." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 10. Children playing football [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 11. Various of children playing football; spectators. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]