Reports: Irish footballers took the field against Israel wearing black armbands in memory of Gaza casualties and refused to shake hands with opponents. Match nearly fell apart

Meduza reports on the event "Reports: Irish footballers took the field against Israel wearing black armbands in memory of Gaza casualties and refused to shake hands with opponents. Match nearly fell apart," presenting it as the main story in the available source material.

According to available reports, the Nations League match between Israel and Ireland, held in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, nearly did not take place due to the position of the Irish players — they even held a vote within the team to decide whether to take the field or not. The report also notes that ultimately the squad decided not to boycott the match, but took the field wearing black armbands in memory of those killed in Gaza. The Irish refused to shake hands with the Israeli players and deliberately bowed their heads during the playing of Israel's national anthem. The match ended with Ireland's 3:0 victory.

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