In the days leading up to the Asian Cup, a major international soccer tournament, Mohammed Saleh of the Palestinian national soccer team learned that his uncle, his aunt and their children had all been killed during Israels bombardment of Gaza.

Today my family is subjected to a war of extermination, Saleh not to be confused with Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Salah told Agence France-Presse this week in Qatar.

Moreover, when the defender took the field Sunday for his teams opening match against Iran, he hadnt heard from his surviving family members in Gaza for days.

They are living in a tent on open land... May God help them, he said in an interview with the French news agency, explaining that his home in Gaza City had been destroyed.

We play football for them... for Gaza... for our cause, Saleh said.

Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub told AFP that Saleh was not the only player whose families were martyred in Gaza during the run-up to the tournament, with the deaths giving extra significance to the competition for players.

This team is the noblest symbol of our national identity, and this team is for all Palestinians, Rajoub said.

The Palestinian team lost its opening match to Iran, a tournament favorite, 4-1. Still, the nearly 28,000 fans inside the Qatar stadium a number roughly equivalent to the 25,000 Palestinians killed so far in Gaza during Israels 100-day siege of the territory demonstrated an outpouring of support for the team, with Iranian fans even waving Palestinian flags in solidarity.