Backa Topola (Serbia) (AFP) - Israel’s players wore black armbands in their Nations League draw against Ireland on Sunday to commemorate the victims of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, after Irish players wore them to protest the war in Gaza.

The simple black armbands were inscribed with the numbers “7.10” to mark the date of the attack.

Just as in last week’s first match in Hungary which Ireland won 3-0, the Irish players again bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and the teams refused to shake hands before the 1-1 draw, this time played in the small Serbian town of Backa Topola.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had refused to host Israel on Irish soil for security reasons, following calls to boycott the matches.

The two matches against Israel have sparked controversy in Ireland, which has long supported the Palestinian cause.

“I’m absolutely delighted this has finished, it has taken a toll on all of us,” said Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson.

“I’ve given so much credit to the players, they have been absolutely amazing in tough times and I wish no national team to go through what we have gone through for the last two weeks.”

On Sunday, Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead from the penalty spot on 39 minutes after Dor Peretz fouled Jimmy Dunne.

The Real Betis striker has now scored 10 of the last 13 competitive goals for the Republic.

But Peretz stabbed in an equaliser two minutes after half-time, sending in from close range after a shot deflected off Ireland defender Liam Scales and into his path.

The tension of the match was evident when the two squads clashed as they left the pitch at half-time.

The result complicates Ireland’s qualification task as they now lie third in Group 3 of League B behind Austria and Kosovo. Israel are bottom with two points.

“It felt like a friendly .. there were no people watching, no spark in the game,” said Hallgrimsson.

“There was I think lesser emotions involved in this game and I think that was the difference.

“We should have done better in the first half and killed the game.”

The Israeli Football Association said Sunday that the request to wear black armbands had been approved by European football’s governing body UEFA.

The Hamas-led attack was the deadliest in Israeli history and killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

The massive Israeli offensive in response has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Ireland’s 2-2 draw against Austria in Dublin on Thursday was twice briefly interrupted by demonstrations in support of the Palestinians.

Israel has been unable to host international matches on its own soil because of security risks since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

The first match went ahead in Hungary instead, with Ireland beating Israel following a turbulent build-up in which the Irish squad voted to fulfil the fixture after goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu pulled out a day before the game.

On Saturday, Ireland’s press conference in Serbia was cut short as Hallgrimsson fielded questions from Israeli journalists, including one about an Omani pilot’s attack on a flydubai flight heading for Tel Aviv earlier in the week.

The Icelander sparked a diplomatic row over the games last month by saying: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.”

The Israeli association accused him of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy”.

On Sunday, Hallgrimsson said in hindsight he would have done things differently.

“Today I would think I did a mistake there because my feelings and my opinion should be set aside when I’m spokesman for an organisation and a group,” he said in Serbia.