(Reuters) – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has written to the head of Israel’s Football Association to express his condolences over the “senseless acts of violence” after Palestinian militant group Hamas killed over 1,300 people in the country.
On Saturday, Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip rampaged through parts of southern Israel, in the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history.
Europe’s soccer’s governing body has not made any public statements apart from postponing all matches in Israel as well as their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
But Slovenian Ceferin wrote a personal letter to Moshe Zuares, the president of the IFA.
“On behalf of UEFA and the European football community, I am writing to express our profound sorrow upon learning about the tragic acts of violence that occurred last week in Israel, resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” Ceferin wrote.
“My heart goes out to all the victims and their families during these difficult times. It is an unimaginable tragedy, and the pain and sorrow are profound and resonate across the entire football community.
“We sincerely hope no one will ever again experience such grief. My friend, I pray for these deep wounds to heal and for a world where such senseless acts of violence have no place.”
Israel’s Group I Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Switzerland and Kosovo were postponed, with UEFA saying on Thursday that Israeli authorities are not allowing the national team to travel abroad due to the conflict with Hamas.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, writing by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
