MILAN: Gennaro Gattuso said on Tuesday that that he felt heartache over the two-year-long war in Gaza ahead of two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, one of which will be against Israel.

The Azzurri take on Esto­nia in Tallinn on Satur­day but all eyes are on the following clash with Israel in Udine next Tuesday, after mass pro-Palestinian protests were held across Italy last week.

On Friday — a day of strike action in support of the Palestinians — demonstrators went to Italy’s national training centre in Florence to demand the match be called off, and there will be more protests in Udine ahead of next week’s match.

“We know that we have to play the match because otherwise we’ll lose 3-0… I’ll say it again that it’s very sad to see what’s happening to innocent people, children, it hurts my heart to see all of that,” Gattuso told reporters on Tuesday.

Italy was the scene of some of Europe’s biggest protests over last weekend against Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza, which was sparked two years ago when Hamas fighters crossed the border to attack Israeli communities.

But due to the levels of death and destruction being wrought on Gaza, there have been incre­asing calls for Israel to be banned from international sport.

Ticket sales for Tuesday’s match have been sluggish with large empty spaces expe­cted at the Bluenergy Stad­ium, which will be the centre of a large security operation.

“It won’t be an easy atmosphere because there will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5,000-6,000 inside it,” continued Gattuso.

“We want to qualify for the World Cup and I would have preferred to play a home match in front of an enthusiastic crowd like we did in Bergamo [for a 5-0 win over Estonia] a month ago.”

Italy, who failed to qualify for the last two World Cup tournaments, sit second in Group ‘I’, level on nine points with Israel and six behind leaders Norway, with a game in hand on both of their rivals.

Gattuso has made a strong start as Italy coach with two wins from two, though the 5-4 victory over Israel in Hun­gary in September was anything but straightforward as a last-minute goal from San­dro Tonali secured the win.

Israeli national team have played their home matches in Hungary since the country launched its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The small group of Italian fans present in the Hungarian city of Debrecen on September 8 turned their backs to the pitch during the Israeli national anthem, while boos also rang out from sections of the stadium and supporters displayed banners with the word “stop”.

“There are many things we need to fix. Its not just about the defence, but about being able to sniff out danger in all areas of the pitch,” he said.

“At the same time, there are also many positives. We were the ones who allowed Israel back into the game and we were very lucky to take the result home. We’ve got to improve our attitude, its not about the tactical system.”

Only top spot in the group gives direct qualification to next summer’s finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with second place offering a play-off spot.

Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s two-year ground and air campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 67,000 people, with nearly a third of the dead under the age of 18.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2025