The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in place amid fragility
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British-Israeli woman Emily Damari, who was freed from Hamas captivity in January, has spoken out about her exclusion from an upcoming soccer match in England involving her favorite team, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The team’s English rival Aston Villa has announced that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend the next Europa League match in Birmingham, England, on November 6 due to security concerns amid frequent pro-Palestinian protests.
So Damari currently can’t watch.
“I was freed from Hamas captivity in January and I am a die-hard Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. I am shocked to the core by this scandalous decision to ban myself, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa match in the UK. Football is a way of uniting people regardless of their faith, color or religion and this disgusting decision does exactly the opposite. What a shame. I hope you come in right and reconsider,” Damari wrote in x.
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Emily Damari, a former British-Israeli Hamas hostage, attends her first Tottenham soccer match since being released during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Crystal Palace FC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on May 11. (Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
People walk towards Israeli military helicopters as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been detained in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attacks, return to Israel on January 19, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
“I wonder what exactly has become of British society. This is like putting a big sign outside a stadium saying ‘No Jews Allowed’. What has become of the UK, where blatant anti-Semitism has become the norm? What a sad world we live in!”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police recommendation to ban away fans from the Nov. 6 match was “the wrong decision” and that “the role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the match, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Starmer’s spokesman, Geraint Ellis, said on Friday that “the prime minister was angry at the decision” and that the government was working urgently to overturn it.
Simon Foster, the elected official in Birmingham responsible for overseeing local police and holding them accountable, also urged an “immediate review”, while local mayor Richard Parker called on authorities to find “a workable solution” that could involve the government covering some policing costs.
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Maccabi Tel Aviv fans light flares and chant slogans before the UEFA Europa League soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nov. 7, 2024. (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fans were reportedly subjected to violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year. More than a dozen people have already been charged in connection with the violence, and several have already been convicted following a series of violent incidents overnight.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been a regular feature at the Maccabi Tel Aviv games in 2025.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s upcoming match against Aston Villa will be the team’s first away match in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, against PAOK on September 24.
About 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that match and were detained behind a police cordon before entering the venue.
Aston Villa issued a statement addressing the current decision.
“The club is in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of fans attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision,” the statement read.
Aston Villa’s ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is just the latest example of the restrictions imposed on sports teams and fans in Israel in recent months.
Supporters with Israeli flags queue in front of the Stade de France stadium before the UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Israel in Saint-Denis, France, on November 14, 2024. (Michel Stoupak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He indonesian government denied Israelis visas to enter the country for the upcoming 53rd FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, which begins on Sunday.
He israeli prime minister The Tech cycling team has been excluded from an upcoming race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, scheduled for October 4, due to possible disruptions. Pro-Palestinian protests.
The UEFA Europa League, Europe’s largest football body, was reported to be moving towards a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that no action would be taken against the team on October 3. He reportedly later met privately at FIFA headquarters with the head of the Palestinian soccer federation, Jibril Rajoub, and praised his organization “for its resilience at this time,” according to The Associated Press.
President donald trump He oversaw the historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week.
As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released the remaining 20 live hostages held in Gaza, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
