Despite the wartime atmosphere, the residents of Kibbutz Mefalsim in Shaar Hanegev, only a mile from the Israel-Gaza Strip border, got together on the kibbutz lawn to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and Germany Sunday night.
The residents of Mefalsim, many of them immigrants from Argentina, decided to not to let "the background noise" stop them from watching the game and rooting for their native country.
There was fighting spirit on that kibbutz lawn, in more ways than one. Chanting slogans almost in unison, dozens of kibbutz members, ranging from young children to the elderly, were fixated on the huge screen outside the kibbutz' operations room.
The excited viewers chanted slogans and draped themselves in Argentina's pale blue and white flag.
Some soldiers stationed nearby also stopped by for a few minutes to watch the game.
"There is a wartime atmosphere," kibbutz member Ariel Gaon said.
"Despite hearing artillery fire in the background, our eyes are fixed on the big screen, hoping that our beloved Argentina will take the World Cup by storm. For us, the World Cup represents a great reprieve from the military operation. We stood behind our team this past month just to get to this moment, and currently nothing going on the other side of the border interests us. Except for the fact that Israel must finish this operation with a big victory, both militarily and ethically, the World Cup let us forget the rockets and the brutal war our enemies on the other side of the border have forced us into. The World Cup has helped us make it through this difficult time."
During the World Cup final, sirens warning of rocket fire sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, sending residents running to bomb shelters. The army said seven rockets were fired at Ashkelon during the game, but all were intercepted by the Iron Dome.
In nearby Or Haner, another kibbutz near the Gaza border that is home to many expatriate Argentinians, members watched the game in their own homes instead of communally, due to security warnings of too many convening together in one place.
''We want Messi, not missiles,'' said Gerardo Salom, an Argentina fan.
Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, with Israeli airstrikes in the area ongoing, fans needed ingenuity and courage to witness Germany's 1-0 win over Argentina.
Since the Israeli operation to stop the rocket fire from Gaza began, the streets of the coastal enclave have been deserted after nightfall, with the loud thuds of intermittent bombings heard across wide areas. Compounding the hardships, rolling power cuts have plagued Gaza for several years, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.
Salah Yousef, a 19-year-old Argentina supporter, said he walked to his uncle's house, about 20 minutes away, to watch the game with other relatives, because his own home did not have electricity.
''I was scared when I walked,'' Yousef said by phone from his uncle's house. ''My mother was on the phone talking to me until I reached their home.''
Yousef said doing something normal, such as watching football, is a show of defiance.
''This means we don't fear the Israeli threats and fire,'' he said.
Raed Lafi, a local journalist, watched the game on his cellphone with his six children crowding around him because the power in his home was out.
He said he had watched the last World Cup on a large screen in an outdoor cafe, but preferred to stay at home this time.
''I live in a very dangerous area, surrounded by [Hamas] 'security compounds' [that might be targeted by Israel]," he said.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו