Through our Nourishing Hope for Gaza program, BuildPalestine is partnering with the Palestinian Baseball & Softball Federation to raise $20,000 for Gaza youth baseball, softball, and Baseball5, reaching 240 young athletes across 16 clubs.

By funding two consecutive tournament cycles, this campaign provides vital trauma recovery through sports for youth on the ground while rebuilding the elite pipeline that keeps Palestine competing—and winning—on global podiums.

Sponsor an athlete in Gaza!

To an outside observer, baseball might seem like an unexpected sport to flourish in Gaza. But the story of sports in Palestine has always been defined by innovation, adaptability, and deep roots in community heritage.

In late 2016, Mahmoud Tafesh—a Palestinian national soccer player from Gaza—encountered baseball during a trip to Egypt. Inspired by the sport’s unique blend of strategy, teamwork, and non-contact agility, he returned to Gaza determined to establish Palestine’s first organized baseball and softball federation.

With no dedicated baseball diamonds, no imported gear, and no formal training facilities in Gaza, Mahmoud turned to online tutorials to master the rules. He recruited local youth, practiced on public beaches when pitch rentals were unaffordable, collaborated with local tailors to stitch custom leather gloves, and worked with neighborhood carpenters to hand-carve wooden bats.

Mahmoud also recognized that baseball offered an accessible, culturally respectful platform for young women and girls to participate in team sports. The federation expanded to include softball and later Baseball5—a fast-paced urban adaptation played without bats or gloves. What began with just 13 curious players quickly grew into hundreds of youth competing across local clubs in Gaza.

This modern athletic movement echoed Radi (or Radi-Madi), a traditional folk hand-and-stick ball game played in Palestinian villages for generations, proving that baseball was simply a new expression of a long-standing athletic tradition.

Competing for the Nation: How the Diaspora Won West Asia Gold During Genocide

By 2023, the Palestinian National Baseball Team made international headlines by securing the Silver Medal at the West Asia Baseball Cup in Pakistan—a historic roster that united players who managed to travel from Gaza with Palestinian-American collegiate and amateur athletes.

However, over the past year, military attacks across Gaza systematically targeted every facet of Palestinian civic life, including sports infrastructure. Over 500 Palestinian athletes, coaches, and sports officials have been killed, while historic stadiums, clubhouses, and neighborhood pitches have been leveled or repurposed as military sites.

Among those martyred was Mustafa Tafesh (22), a national team silver medalist from Gaza who dreamed of taking Palestine to the Olympic stage.

Yet, Palestinian sports refused to be erased.

While players inside Gaza were trapped under bombardment and forced into displacement, Palestinian diaspora athletes—from Chicago, California, and New York to France and Jordan—refused to let their national flag fall. Competing on behalf of their trapped teammates and carrying the memory of martyred players like Mustafa, the national team took the field at the 2025 West Asia Baseball Cup.

In an extraordinary display of collective sumud and athletic excellence, Palestine won 1st Place, capturing the Gold Medal. Their victory demonstrated to the world that while physical pitches in Gaza could be destroyed, the spirit of elite sports in Palestine is indestructible.

The Psychological Impact: Sports as a Sanctuary for Trauma Recovery in Gaza

While national team players compete on international stages, the grassroots program in Gaza provides an urgent psychological lifeline for displaced youth.

Children in Gaza face severe psychological trauma, chronic stress, and loss of normal childhood structures. In trauma recovery work, sports are increasingly recognized not just as recreation, but as an essential somatic intervention.

How Baseball5 Serves as a Healing Sanctuary

🛡️ Restoring Identity and Dignity: Wearing an official team jersey transforms a child’s self-perception, helping them reclaim their identity as an athlete and a teammate rather than a passive victim of war.

🧠 Somatic Nervous System Regulation: The structured movement of Baseball5—running, throwing, and focusing on immediate match dynamics—helps discharge trapped nervous system tension caused by constant hyper-vigilance.

🤝 Rebuilding Community and Joy: Structured group sports recreate a safe space where youth can reconnect with peers, receive consistent mentorship from local coaches, and experience genuine childhood joy amidst crisis.

The 4-Month Operational Scope ($20,000 Goal for 240 Athletes)

To connect Gaza’s local athletes with Palestine’s global sports legacy, BuildPalestine is partnering with the Palestinian Baseball & Softball Federation to raise $20,000 for a comprehensive 4-month athletic development project in Gaza.

Rather than a single cycle, the project is structured as two consecutive 2-month tournament phases across 16 local clubs, reaching 240 total athletes (with capacity up to 300):

Tournament 1 (Months 1–2): 120 Girls (Under 17) across 8 local clubs

Tournament 2 (Months 3–4): 120 Young Men (Over 17) across 8 local clubs

How Each 2-Month Tournament Phase Operates:

Week 1 — Coach & Referee Refresher Workshops: Conducting intensive training sessions for local coaches and referees across 8 clubs, focusing on technical skills, game coordination, and trauma-informed youth mentorship.

Weeks 2–3 — Intensive Player Preparation: Hosting 6 structured preparation sessions per club to build physical conditioning and team dynamics.

Weeks 4–8 — The Gaza League Tournament: Running a 1.5-month competitive league on surviving five-a-side pitches, serving as the primary scouting ground to identify top talent for future national team pathways.

The Unit Economics of Impact: Restructured Giving Tiers

Running a high-quality athletic cycle amidst widespread destruction requires funding gear, safe pitch rentals, referee honoraria, and organized transit across governorates.

We have structured clear, accessible giving levels so supporters can directly fund specific components of a player’s journey:

• 👕 $21 — Athletic Kit & Gear Sponsor: Outfits 1 youth athlete with an official team jersey, cap, and gear—restoring athletic pride and identity.
• 🏟️ $42 — 1-Month Pitch & Training Access: Covers 1 month of intensive coaching, referee mentorship, and safe venue rentals for a young player in Gaza.
• ⚾️ $84 — Full Championship Sponsorship (1 Player): Sponsors 1 athlete’s complete 2-month development cycle—from coach workshops and prep sessions to safe transit and tournament play.
• 👫 $168 — Sponsor a Champion Duo (1 Girl, 1 Boy): Fully funds two rising youth athletes through the entire Phase 1 athletic pipeline.
• 🚌 $500 — Club Logistics & Transport Grant: Covers safe travel across governorates, equipment supplies, and venue rentals for an entire club division.
• 🏆 $1,260 — Full Club Squad Sponsor (15 Players): Fully sponsors an entire 15-player team through the complete 2-month program.

Long-Term Sustainability: The Champions Circle ($14/Month)

To build a lasting foundation for sports in Palestine, we are launching The Champions Circle—a recurring giving program.

A recurring gift of $14 per month (or $42 per quarter) continuously funds a young athlete’s placement across annual tournament cycles. This provides the Federation with predictable funding to keep coaches employed, equipment stocked, and pitches reserved year-round.

Invest in the Future of Palestinian Sports

Supporting sports in Palestine is how we enable young people to stay rooted, heal from trauma, and represent their nation with pride. By investing in Gaza’s youth today, we ensure that Palestine continues to reach top podiums around the world tomorrow.

Sponsor an athlete in Gaza!

This Is Sumud صمود — And This Is What We Believe

There’s a hadith by the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, that BuildPalestine’s team returns to often: if the Day of Judgment comes and you have a seed in your hand, plant it. It isn’t a metaphor about optimism. It’s a directive of continuation — the belief that planting, feeding, growing, educating, building, and preserving is itself the antidote to erasure.

This is sumud صمود : not passive endurance, but an active, intentional continuation — the choice to stay rooted with purpose.

If you believe in a future where Palestinians set their own priorities and build their own solutions, join the movement. Together, we can build an economy rooted in dignity, community, and liberation. Support BuildPalestine and become a member.