Emotional moment Israel’s football captain holds up boot belonging to boy, eight, kidnapped by Hamas – saying ‘that´s all what´s left from his house… this left shoe’
- Israel held Switzerland to a draw in what was considered a home game in Hungary
- Fans draped themselves in the country’s flag and greeted the team’s bus
- Some fans held up signs bearing the faces of those kidnapped in Hamas attacks
The Israeli captain showed off the shoe of a young boy he said was kidnapped by Hamas militants during last month’s attacks in an emotional tribute during a press conference ahead of the match against Switzerland.
The October 7 attacks killed about 1,200 people, and since then more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Israeli fans held up signs depicting the faces of those kidnapped in last month’s Hamas attacks as they played against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 qualifier in Hungary.
Shon Weissman scored the 88th-minute equalizer for Israel, which drew 1-1 against Switzerland, in one of two ‘home games’ that will instead take the lead in Felcsut – a Hungarian village with a population of around 1,900 .
It came after captain Eli Dasa, who addressed a press conference in Felcsut on Tuesday, brought a small sports shoe to reporters.
Israeli team captain Eli Dasa shows a shoe of a kidnapped Israeli boy during a press conference
Fans held up banners during their clash with Switzerland asking for kidnapped supporters to be brought home
An Israeli fan welcomes their team bus as it arrives at the stadium in Felcsut, near Budapest
The match with Switzerland was supposed to be played last month, but was postponed due to the situation in Israel
There was a large security presence outside the stadium with armed police forces
The shoe belonged to a boy he said was kidnapped by Hamas militants last month in an act of solidarity with Israelis held captive in Gaza ahead of the team’s match in Hungary.
“It’s hard to say right now, but I don’t think any of you can guess what the story behind this shoe is,” Dasa said.
‘This boy is currently in the Gaza Strip with seven, seven people from his family.
“That’s all that’s left of his house. This left shoe. We’re waiting for him here,” he continued, before standing up and leaving the press conference.
The shoe comes from Kibbutz Be’eri, the small community in Israel from which eight-year-old Nave Shoham was kidnapped along with seven of his relatives, the Israeli team’s press officer said.
Fans, ahead of Wednesday’s game Wrapped in Israeli flags, they gathered outside the heavily guarded stadium in Hungary and sang chants as their team bus arrived.
Some fans traveled all the way to Israel on Wednesday night to watch their side.
The Israeli side of the stands was lined with flags and banners demanding the return of those kidnapped by Hamas terrorists last month.
Balloons were released by fans to honor those who were killed or kidnapped during the October 7 attacks
In the match itself, Israel salvaged a 1–1 draw with an 88th-minute equalizer against Switzerland
The match was supposed to be played last month but was postponed due to the security situation in Israel.
As a result, Israel will play four matches in the space of nine days to complete their qualifying campaign.
After losing 1-0 to Kosovo on Sunday, they face Romania on Saturday before facing Andorra next Tuesday.