For Janna Jabber, playing soccer on the pitch at the Aida Refugee camp in the occupied West Bank is more than just a pastime, it's a pathway.
The 15-year-old has played for Palestine's National team and has ambitions of one day pulling on a Real Madrid jersey.
"It's my second family, I've been coming here to train for years," she said.
But those dreams are under threat after the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) ordered the demolition of the soccer pitch in the city of Bethlehem, which is the only open space in the overcrowded camp.
The IDF claimed it was built illegally.
"On the 31st of December, we received a military order pinned to the gate telling us to demolish the pitch," Mohammed Abu Srour from the Aida Youth Centre told the ABC.
"The order said if we didn't do it ourselves, they [the IDF] would do it and charge us the bill for the demolition."
A campaign to save it has now gone global, with soccer's most powerful bodies, FIFA and UEFA — as well as social media influencers — intervening to pressure Israeli authorities to reconsider its destruction.
It comes as international outrage grows over Israeli plans, approved by the security cabinet, to tighten the country's grip over the occupied West Bank.
The soccer pitch
The Aida refugee camp was built by the United Nations in 1950 to accommodate Palestinians after the Arab-Israeli war.
The 0.7 square kilometre camp was initially built for 1,000 people, but there are now more than 7,000 Palestinian refugees living in the space, according to 2023 figures from the UN.
Israeli watch towers, settlements and check points surround it.
The football pitch was built next to the separation wall built by Israel, which cuts through the occupied West Bank and prevents Palestinians from entering Jerusalem without special permission.
Mr Srour said the football pitch was "one of the most important spaces in the Aida Refugee camp because it's the only open space for children".
"It's a dream for us," Mr Srour said.
"It's a space where we express ourselves as a resident, as a refugee, as a football player, as children."
About 250 children use the pitch every week, which is about one-tenth of the size of a full-scale soccer field.
The goalposts are rusty, and a herd of sheep passes by the pitch while the children are training.
"The Israelis are trying to forcibly displace us from the refugee camp and from Palestine," Mr Srour said.
IDF says construction was carried out unlawfully
The IDF said the pitch was constructed without the necessary permits, and its demolition was necessary for security reasons.
"Along the security fence, there is a confiscation order and a prohibition on construction," a spokesperson for the IDF said.
"Therefore, the construction in the area was carried out unlawfully."
But Mr Srour said the order came as a shock because they followed all the right procedures to secure the construction in 2012.
"We were really surprised receiving [the demolition order]," he said.
"It made no sense to us because we don't believe anyone would like to take away the smile or stop children from having the right to play in the space."
For 17-year-old Salma, playing soccer is a way out of the conflict.
"Everyone here is so sad, all the children, we were crying about [the demolition]," she said.
"It was such a shock for me, I love to come here.
"We grew up here with the coaches, with my friends, all our dreams grow with us here, and it's so hard to believe the field would be demolished."
Community fights back
The community has fought back by posting videos on social media and launching a petition that has nearly half a million signatures.
American YouTube star and children’s educator Rachel Accurso, commonly known as Ms Rachel, used her social media platform to support the campaign.
"I can't fathom why anyone would destroy something that means so much to children in such a difficult situation already," she told CNN.
"Children have human rights, and one of them is to play — another one is to be heard."
The ABC understands FIFA and UEFA have stepped in to try to save the pitch.
A spokesperson from UEFA said their president, Aleksandr Ceferin, had been in contact with the Israel Football Federation "regarding the preservation of a football pitch in a refugee camp in the West Bank".
"We take the opportunity to thank the President of the Federation, Moshe Zuares, for his efforts to help protect the site from demolition," they said in a statement.
"We hope the pitch can continue to serve the local community as a safe space for children and youth."
Future of the pitch uncertain amid criticism of Israel expansion
The international campaign appears to have forced the Israeli authorities to reconsider, with sources telling the ABC that the IDF has postponed the demolition.
But the Aida Youth Club said it had not received any official notification that the demolition had been called off, and is worried the final whistle could come at any time.
"What worries us most is what will happen to the kids, where will they go?" Mahmound Jundiya, coach at the Aida Youth Center told the ABC.
"It's the only space for children, it's existence is very important for us.
"It's an outlet in the full sense of the world — in the overcrowded camp it's a place kids can come and practice, play, spend their time and meet their friends.
"If the pitch is gone and demolished, it will have a huge negative impact on the children.
"We will all be so upset about losing the pitch, it fulfils many dreams."
The dispute over the pitch comes amid mounting criticism after Israel made further moves to exert its control of the West Bank, where settlers have been assaulting residents, demolishing houses and killing crops with pesticides.
The plans, approved by Israel's security cabinet, would allow Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly, and extend greater Israeli control over areas where the Palestinian Authority exercises power.
The announcement sparked global outrage with the United Nations chief, Antonio Guterres, saying he was "gravely concerned".
Saudi Arabia and seven other Muslim-Majority countries have condemned the move, which would pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory,
Mr Guterres warned the changes were "eroding the prospects for a two-state solution," spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
Mr Guterres called Israel's actions "destabilising" and pointed to an International Court of Justice finding that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territory was illegal
For Janna, who played in a tournament in Saudi Arabia last year, she said she does not want to imagine a life without the pitch.
"I practise three times a week here, and the coaches have worked really hard with us to reach this point — it's got me to the national team," Janna said.
"The demolition bothers us, because all our dreams are here and we work really hard in order to be a strong team like Real Madrid."
