Hyderabad, Dec. 8 -- Palestine and Syria on Sunday, December 7, qualified for the FIFA Arab Cup quarterfinal after playing out a draw in Doha, Qatar.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and for both sides, reaching the knockout stage in the regional tournament hosted by Qatar was overshadowed by the recent memory of conflict in their homelands.

Only weeks ago in Gaza, the 2-year-long conflict came to a halt under a fragile ceasefire plan brokered by the United States. For the Syrian team, the match came on the eve of the anniversary of former President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

In a video circulating on social media, Palestinian player Mohammed Salesh was seen waving Palestinian and Syrian flags during a celebration.

The two teams were awa...