DUBLIN (AP) — Tensions are high ahead of an international soccer doubleheader between Ireland and Israel, with both nations using inflammatory language about their opponents amid protests in Dublin urging a boycott of the matches.

The games taking place on Sunday and Oct. 4 — both on neutral territory — are going ahead following a request by the Football Association of Ireland that UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, suspend the Israel Football Association in protest of Israel’s military action in Gaza. It was rejected by UEFA.

Campaigners stepped up their attempts to get the Ireland team to not play the first match between the teams in Hungary, with a group gathering outside the team’s hotel in Dublin on Monday evening.

More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter issued by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group, urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixtures and saying: “With this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing.”

After announcing his squad, Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said: “Without going into individuals, none of us feel comfortable playing in these games but once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one.”

Hallgrimsson, who is from Iceland, also was asked about how his players would stay focused on the games. He answered: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.”

Israel has denied deliberately targeting civilians and pushed back on accusations, including from rights groups, that it committed genocide in Gaza.

Israel has come under genocide accusations repeatedly since launching the war in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The International Court of Justice is hearing an ongoing genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa.

On Monday, the Israel FA responded to Hallgrimsson’s comments with a post on social media that read: “We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way.

“Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by (Hallgrimsson). We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we’re playing against the coach who embodies them.”

An October 2025 ceasefire reduced the intensity of the fighting, but Israel has continued to carry out strikes, killing over 1,375 people since the agreement went into effect, according to local health officials.

The nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 73,821 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half the toll.

Why Ireland is playing the games

The calls from back home for Ireland to boycott the matches against Israel have been loud.

In a May friendly against Qatar, Irish activists hurled tennis balls onto the pitch in protest. The balls had “Stop the Game” written on them, referring to the upcoming Nations League matches.

The FAI has argued that boycotting the games could damage its chances of qualifying for the 2028 European Championship, which Ireland is co-hosting with Britain, and that it would proceed with the fixtures in order to avoid “significant and lasting harm.”

Sunday’s game will be staged in Debrecen, Hungary, and the reverse game — a “home” match for Ireland — will be behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, northern Serbia.

Ireland opted to stage the game in neutral territory because of what the FAI described as “operational challenges” that could arise if it was played in Dublin.

Israel has had to relocate, often to Hungary, for its home games for security reasons since October 2023, with UEFA having ruled the country cannot host international matches because of the war.

No tickets for either match will be made available to Irish fans.

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