UEFA postpones matches in Israel amid deteriorating situation
In light of the deteriorating situation in Israel, UEFA has decided to postpone all matches scheduled in the West Asian country in the next fortnight.
The European football governing body saidIsrael's Euro 2024 qualifier against Switzerland on Thursday, scheduled to take place at Tel Aviv's Bloomfield Stadium, is among matches postponed "in light of the current security situation".
Apart from the senior team's match, the Under-21 qualifiers involving Israel, Estonia and Germany have been postponed while the Under-17 matches involvingIsrael, Belgium, Gibraltar and Wales have the same fate.
Matches postponed:
European Championship 2024 qualifier
12 October: Israel v Switzerland
European Under-21 Championship 2025 qualifiers
12 October: Israel v Estonia
17 October: Israel v Germany
European Under-17 Championship 2024
11-17 October: Mini tournament involving Israel, Belgium, Gibraltar and Wales
UEFA added that it will take a few more days to assess whether the European qualifiers match between Israel and Kosovo, scheduled to take place at thePristina City Stadium in Kosovo on October 15 would go ahead or not.
"Uefa will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures," it said.
What is happening in Israel?
More than 700 Israelis have been killed after Hamas - a terror outfit operating from the Gaza Strip launched an indiscriminate attack on Israel. While thousands of missiles were fired that overwhelmed Israel's state-of-the-art Iron Dome system, a faction of ground fighters illegally entered Israel and kidnapped, raped and slaughtered civilians, before retreating.
Since the attack, the fighting has only escalated as Israel has vowed to return the favour by flattening the strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has predicted a“long and difficult war”, with reports claiming that Jerusalem may try to take full control of Gaza for the first time since it unilaterally withdrew from the territory in 2005.
(With inputs from agencies)
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