Israeli minister compares Irish team to 1939 squad that gave Nazi salute

The Irish and Israeli national football teams declined the traditional pre-match handshake during their Nations League fixture held on Sunday at the Debrecen stadium in Hungary. The match, which resulted in a 3-0 victory for Ireland, took place in a sparse stadium amid heightened tensions surrounding the ongoing war in Gaza. During the event, Irish players wore black armbands and bowed their heads while the Israeli national anthem was performed.

The match drew significant political reaction, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar criticizing the Irish team's decision to wear black armbands. Saar characterized the team's actions as being on the wrong side of history and drew a comparison to a 1939 football squad. The game had previously been the subject of intense public pressure in Ireland, where calls for a boycott of the fixture had circulated prior to the match.