Burly men in Gaza pulled trucks with ropes and flipped massive tires as part of a strength competition that drew cheers from Palestinian onlookers

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- No day in Gaza is normal, but Friday stood out for its shouts of delight as athletes pulled trucks, flipped massive tires and heaved weights in a strength competition that drew cheering crowds.

Children and women perched on the rubble of war-destroyed buildings and watched competitors of the Palestine Strongman Championship tip over tires nearly as tall as themselves.

The men lifted loaded barbells and hustled across a courtyard echoing with shouts and music. And there was a frenzy as one man, grimacing and sweating, lurched along pulling a truck with a rope.

Participating was a “great, indescribable feeling. After three years of destruction, strikes, hunger and death, we are back in this fantastic atmosphere,” said one bulky participant, Riyad Fattouh.

The organizer, Waleed Owda, said the event had been scheduled for 2021 but was postponed, and then delayed again in 2023 when war erupted. The Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, brought Israeli retaliation.

“All sports activities were stopped and all sport clubs and venues were destroyed in Gaza,” Owda said. “Today, with the help of sponsors, we were able to hold the championship and it is successful, as you can see.”

Despite the ruined setting in the Palestinian territory that remains nearly cut off from the world under a fragile ceasefire, “the youths proved to the world that Gaza is home to champions,” Owda said.

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