Unlike previous squad announcements, Ehab Abu Jazar’s first was made in a timely manner- a full week before the first game of the window.
To accompany the announcement the Palestine Football Association even produced a slick hype video that featured several landmarks in Gaza City- including the battered Al-Yarmouk Stadium.
As has been the norm in international football for the past four years the squad is made up of twenty six players. The new staff made as many changes as it could without disrupting the harmony of the squad.
Baraa Kharoub is replaced as the side’s third choice goalkeeper by Mahdi Assi. There are no new names in the defensive line but Abu Jazar has put a stop to the practice of calling up two left backs. Camilo Saldaña, whose club situation is in flux, has been dropped while Wajdi Nabhan and Mohammed Khalil have been retained.
As Football Palestine previously reported there are two new dual nationals who have been called up for the first time. Adam Kaied (NAC Breda/NED) and Assad Al-Hamlawi (Slask Wroclaw/POL) come into the squad while a pair of fellow Swedish born Palestinians drop out- Omar Faraj (Degerfors/SWE) and Moustafa Zeidan (Rosenborg/NOR).
The exclusion of Faraj and Zeidan show the abundance of talent Palestine now boasts in attacking positions. With their leagues yet to start it is quite possible Ehab Abu Jazar opted to select players with more match fitness. Alaa Aldeen Hassan of Al-Arabi (QAT) has been excluded due to injury.
Badr Moussa and Mahmoud Eid have returned to the national team following extended periods away from the squad. Eid was called up just once since the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and Badr Moussa has not been involved with the side since June 2022.
Petrojet duo Badr Moussa and Hamed Hamdan have been called up for the first time alongside Ismaily’s Khaled Al-Nabris. The Egypt-based trio could all be in line to make their debuts in this window.
The rest of the squad is as follows:
