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

Israel's under-20 football team reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, beating Brazil in the quarter-finals and finishing third overall, drawing huge domestic viewership and political attention. The squad, including Israeli Arab player Anan Khalaili who used a Hebrew phrase meaning "People of Israel" in a post-match interview, was seen as a symbol of unity between Jewish and Muslim citizens. About four months after that tournament, Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, prompting an Israeli military offensive in Gaza that the UN says has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. The piece now asks whether the promise shown by that footballing generation can still be realised amid the ongoing war.