Debrecen:The Republic of Ireland football team did not shake hands with Israeli players during the opening ceremony of their UEFA Nations League match on Sunday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the incident occurred at Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, where a small number of Israeli fans booed and jeered the Irish players as they entered the pitch. The Irish team wore black armbands to honor lives lost in the Gaza conflict. During the ceremony, they bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem and refrained from shaking hands with the Israeli team.

The match has been controversial since Ireland and Israel were drawn together in Group B3. The Irish players faced pressure from the Stop The Game campaign, led by Irish Sport for Palestine, to boycott the fixtures.

Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson emphasized that their participation in the match should not be seen as support for the events in Gaza. He stated at a press conference that the team is participating to comply with competition rules, saying, "We are playing this fixture because it's the rules of our game. We are playing this fixture because it's the rules of the competition we are in."

Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the match, citing his personal belief against the killing of innocent people as the reason for his decision.