Ireland wear black armbands and skip handshakes in Israel win

Ireland wore black armbands and refused to shake hands with Israel players before and during Sunday’s Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary, which Ireland won 3-0, the Associated Press reported.
Irish players bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem, and captain Dara O’Shea shook hands only with the referee and his assistants, not with Israel captain Manor Solomon. Ireland’s delegation said the armbands marked respect for “all lives lost” in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan scored in the first 25 minutes at the near-empty stadium, where Israel were the nominal hosts. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu left the squad on Saturday over his belief that “the killing of innocent people is wrong,” and Ireland’s players voted overwhelmingly to fulfill the fixture despite pressure to boycott.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ireland of being “on the wrong side of history.” The Irish federation did not reserve tickets for fans, and broadcaster RTE aired the match without commentary. The teams meet again on October 4 in Ireland’s “home” game in Backa Topola, Serbia.
The gesture made Ireland’s players visible participants in the Gaza debate, drawing rebukes from Israel and renewed boycott calls at home.
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