MOSCOW, November 21 (R-Sport) - Ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip means a Europa League tie between Israel’s Hapoel Kiryat Shmona and Spain’s Athletic Bilbao has been postponed, UEFA said Wednesday.
The Group I match was moved “due to the tense security situation in the region,” UEFA said in a website statement.
Israel's bombardment of Gaza began on November 14 and came in response to a surge in rocket attacks launched from the Palestinian enclave. Around 140 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli onslaught, officials said.
On Wednesday, the city of Tel Aviv, near Hapoel Kiryat Shmona’s home city of Haifa, saw its first bomb attack since 2006 when a device exploded on a bus, reportedly injuring some 20 people. The Islamist group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said it welcomed the blast as a "natural response" to Israel's military campaign.
UEFA said the game would be rescheduled "by the end of the week.”
