A team that offered hope... then, four months later, Hamas attacked Israel — SkimNews
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- Israel's under-20 team beat Brazil in the 2023 U-20 World Cup quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to eventual champions Uruguay in the semis, finishing third — their semi-final drew a 23% viewing share in Israel.
- Anan Khalaili, an Israeli Arab who signed with Crystal Palace for around £21.5m, said 'Am Yisrael' after scoring against Uzbekistan — coach Ofir Haim said of his squad: 'I wish the country were as united as this team.'
- The October 7 Hamas attack killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, triggering a Gaza offensive the UN says has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, and Mata Segal of Kick It Out Israel reported racist chants like 'Let's kill all Arabs' spreading to smaller clubs.
- Arab players make up about 35% of Israeli football's elite-level participants despite being roughly 20% of the population, but the climate has driven defections: Dia Saba left Maccabi Haifa in 2025 for Turkish side Amedspor after his wife's 'There are children in Gaza, too' Instagram post.
- Oscar Gloukh, now Ajax's No. 10, posted a photo series mourning lifelong friend Afik Tery, killed by a Hamas explosive while serving in the IDF — and received pro-Palestinian taunts in the replies.
- Ataa Jaber captained Israel's U-21 side but switched to represent Palestine in June 2023 after witnessing East Jerusalem evictions, telling reporters he could no longer separate sport and politics.
Why it matters: For Arab-Israeli footballers — 35% of Israel's elite-level players but a vanishingly small share of its public discourse — the post-October-7 climate has turned the pitch from rare equal ground into a loyalty minefield, with two prominent players already in exile and chants like 'Let's kill all Arabs' spreading to clubs that hadn't previously seen them.
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