Irish basketball players refused to shake hands with Israeli women due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip

The Irish women’s basketball team refused to shake hands with the Israeli team before the 2025 European Championship qualifying match.

The meeting took place on Thursday and ended with a score of 87:55 in favor of the Israelis. The game was supposed to take place in Israel, but due to the military conflict in the Gaza Strip it was moved to Riga.

Before the match, the Irish team warned the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) that the athletes would not shake hands with their opponents.

“Due to recent comments made by Israeli players and coaching staff, including inflammatory and completely untrue accusations of anti-Semitism, our players will not participate in traditional pre-match activities.” This includes exchanging gifts and formal handshakes before or after the game. “Our players will also line up for the Irish anthem at the bench, rather than in the center of the court,” the Basketball Federation of Ireland said in a statement.

The escalation of the long-term Palestinian-Israeli conflict began on the morning of October 7, 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to the nation that the country is in a state of war.