In a letter to the Israeli football association, FIFA President Gianni Infantino demanded an “immediate cessation of hostilities” between Israelis and Palestinians.
As the conflict worsens, Infantino asserted that football can be a “vehicle for peace” and a “light of hope where there appears to be only darkness ahead.”.
It happens almost a week after Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,300 people and injuring thousands more.
Since Israel started its widespread response, more than 1,500 people have died in Gaza.
In a letter to the head of the Israeli football association, Shino Moshe Zuares, Infantino reportedly urged for peace.
In light of the horrific violence that has been going on over the past few days, Infantino wrote, “I would like to express, on behalf of FIFA and the entire international football community, our deepest condolences to the Israel Football Association and the Palestine Football Association.”.
Watching a region, whose people have endured such profound suffering for far too long, suffer even more is as heartbreaking as it is shocking.
The footballing community firmly expresses its solidarity with the citizens of Israel and Palestine as well as with all the innocent victims who have suffered unimaginable loss.
FIFA joins in calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the immediate alleviation of the suffering of the people of both Israel and Palestine.
Of course, we know that football cannot solve all of the world’s problems, but it can contribute in any small way to bringing hope where there seems to be only darkness
Football demonstrates that it is possible to bring people together in an atmosphere of respect, serving as a catalyst for peace and, in the end, reconciliation, even when doing so may have seemed impossible to all but a select few.
I want to emphasize that FIFA will do everything we can to support you in your relief efforts and to bring peace and hope to your people both now and in the future
The European Championship qualifying matches between the Israeli national team and Switzerland and Kosovo have been postponed by UEFA, and football in Israel has been suspended indefinitely.
The Israeli government currently forbids their national team from traveling abroad, according to UEFA, which is why Sunday’s qualifier with Kosovo in Pristina cannot be played.
.More than a million people were told to leave their homes immediately and flee south as Israel dropped flyers over northern Gaza, continuing its campaign to exterminate the Hamas terrorist organization.