Photo via BBC Sport

A team that offered hope... then, four months later, Hamas attacked Israel

In June 2023, Israel's youth football reached historic heights at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina, where the squad upset Brazil in the quarter-finals and captured third place overall following a 1-0 defeat to eventual tournament winners Uruguay. The campaign captured domestic audiences, with the semi-final commanding a 23% television audience share.

' This success followed a silver medal at the 2022 European Under-19 Championship after an extra-time loss to England, as well as a run to the semi-finals at the 2023 continental tournament.

The unity symbolized by the team was fractured roughly four months later on October 7, when Hamas launched an assault that killed roughly 1,200 individuals and saw 251 people seized as hostages. The subsequent military offensive launched by Israel has resulted in upwards of 70,000 Palestinian deaths according to United Nations figures.

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