Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin, backed his country’s football manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson, after Israel’s football federation accused Hallgrimsson of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” over comments about the war in Gaza.

“I think those are unacceptable remarks; they should be withdrawn,” Martin told reporters in New York, where he is attending the UN general assembly. “Israel can’t keep denying what the world knows, and what the world understands.”

Hallgrímsson sparked the row after saying before two Nations League fixtures against Israel: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.”

Martin said Hallgrímsson’s comments reflected concerns about the scale of death and destruction in Gaza, also citing remarks by the UN secretary general, António Guterres.

The dispute comes amid mounting controversy in Ireland over the fixtures, scheduled for 27 September and 4 October. More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter calling on the national team to boycott the matches, and protesters gathered outside the team’s Dublin hotel on Monday. Further protests are planned around the country in the run-up to the games.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) passed a motion last November requesting that European football governing body, Uefa, suspend Israel from international competition. The FAI has said it has little choice but to fulfil the fixtures or risk sporting and financial sanctions.

Ireland’s designated home match on 4 October was moved from Dublin’s Aviva Stadium to Backa Topola, Serbia, after concerns over disruption and security. The 27 September match, officially Israel’s home fixture, will also be played at a neutral venue, in Debrecen, Hungary.

Israel strongly rejects allegations that its conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide. Hamas on 7 October 2023 led the deadliest attack ever against Israel in which militants killed 1,221 people and dragged into Gaza 251 hostages, 44 of them already dead, according to Israeli official figures.

Israel launched a massive retaliatory offensive that has displaced virtually the entire population at least once and has killed 73,919 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which operates under Hamas and whose figures are generally considered reliable.

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy for Palestinians often linked to the country’s history of British rule. Dublin formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticised Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.