A team that offered hope... then, four months later, Hamas attacked Israel
September 17, 2026 08:00
In the summer of 2023 Israel's under-20 side captured unexpected attention at a global tournament, beating Brazil in the quarter-finals and ultimately finishing third after losing to Uruguay. The run included a semi-final night that drew a 23% television audience share in Israel and moments that commentators and journalists described as almost surreal; Haaretz reporter Ido Rakovsky said covering the team felt like reporting on "science fiction" rather than sport.
The squad's impact went beyond results. After a stoppage-time winner in the last 16, Anan Khalaili — an Israeli Arab — used the Hebrew phrase "Am Yisrael" in a live interview, a choice that observers saw as emblematic of the team's cross-community significance. A little over four months after those high points, Hamas carried out a large-scale attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Israel responded with a major military campaign in Gaza; the United Nations estimates the retaliation has resulted in more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths. The outbreak of war has cast uncertainty over whether the social and sporting promise shown by that youth cohort can be fulfilled.
KEY CONTEXT
- Israel's senior national team has qualified for the World Cup only once; the under-20 achievements were therefore exceptional by recent national standards.
- The 2023 under-20 side had been building for some time: they were runners-up at the 2022 Under-19 European Championship (losing to England in extra time) and reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Under-20 Euros.
- Several members of that group have secured moves to notable clubs: Anan Khalaili completed a transfer to Crystal Palace from Union Saint-Gilloise after a proposed £21.5m move to Inter Milan collapsed; Oscar Gloukh moved from Red Bull Salzburg to Ajax and wears the No.10 shirt; Roy Revivo joined Elche from Maccabi Tel Aviv; Stav Lemkin is at Twente; Dor Turgeman, Ilay Feingold and Idan Toklomati have been playing in Major League Soccer.
- Israeli football has produced technically gifted players in the past, such as Eyal Berkovic and Yossi Benayoun, but observers have described the current crop as notable for its depth emerging at once.
WHY IT MATTERS
The 2023 generation represented both a sporting and social opportunity: on the pitch they showed collective quality and produced export-worthy talents, and off it their composition and reactions — including an Arab player's public use of a phrase tied to Jewish national identity — were read as signs that football could bridge communal divisions. The subsequent outbreak of large-scale violence and the heavy civilian toll reported by international bodies threatens to interrupt careers, club moves and the broader social narrative that had accompanied the team's rise. Whether the sporting momentum and the unifying symbolism can survive or be rebuilt amid a prolonged conflict is an immediate and tangible concern.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- The short- and medium-term club careers of the leading players (ongoing playing time, integration at new clubs and further transfers).
- How the conflict affects players' availability for national youth and senior teams and any disruption to development pathways.
- Whether the social narrative that briefly united attention around this group can be sustained as the humanitarian and political consequences of the war continue to unfold.
KEY FACTS
- Israel finished third at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, having beaten Brazil in the quarter-finals and losing 1-0 to Uruguay in the semis.
- The semi-final involving Israel recorded a 23% TV share in Israel.