For these kids, it is so much more than the beautiful game – it’s connection, it’s joy, it’s release, and it’s just one of the ways that the Palestinian Red Cross Society is helping children reclaim a sense of childhood.

Quite by chance, after reposting Edinburgh-based William Kemp Bruce’s thoughtful piece on the lasting value of free play in childhood, I opened an email from Lily Rogers of the British Red Cross. It was about football. A lifeline to children in Gaza.

“Yes, I’m writing to you about football. And while that might not seem like the most obvious subject for an email from me, I think it’s one well worth sending. Because as we await the semi-final kick off here in the UK, over in Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has put on a special celebration of the FIFA World Cup for the children there.“

“I wanted to share this with you for two reasons. Firstly, because it isn’t often that I get to pass on heartwarming updates like this, and secondly because I want you to see how football can be a form of therapy for children whose lives have been turned upside down by conflict.”

Then follows a simple display of pictures of young footballers. Ramadan, Mohammed, Alaa, Ahmed, all looking straight at the camera, football under arm. The captions are their words saying what football means to them in a country where war has destroyed lives, homes, schools, and football fields.

Football brings Ramadan (15) peace of mind. “It helps me forget the hardships of war. When I score a goal I wish I could travel abroad because of my football skills,” but, he adds, the war has destroyed everything. “I am neither able to leave nor able to stay.”

For a smiling Mohammed, (14) football allows him to “feel free and it helps me relax and enjoy myself”.

Alaa (13) simply speaks of the “indescribable joy” football brings.

Ahmad (16) describes the relief that comes with playing football, but he wants us to know the harsh reality of living in conflict. “We do not have the opportunity to see and experience everything.”

Lily Rogers ends her letter here with a reminder of the vital work of PRCS mental health teams in Gaza.

“Because the reality is that these kids are living in the shadow of a conflict that has spanned years. They’ve lost their homes, loved ones, education, security and safety; the carefree innocence that every child deserves, stolen.”

You can donate to Red Cross Gaza crisis appeal HERE