Palestine football team withdraws from Merdeka Cup in Malaysia

The Palestine national football team has withdrawn from an international friendly tournament in Malaysia, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Tuesday.

Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack at the weekend had climbed to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured, and dozens taken captive.

Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli retaliation air strikes on the blockaded enclave since then.

The Palestine football team had been scheduled to compete in the Merdeka Cup - an international friendly tournament in Malaysia - from October 13 to 17 along with India, Tajikistan, and hosts Malaysia.

"The Palestinian team had to withdraw from participating in this 42nd edition because they could not fly to Kuala Lumpur due to the tense situation in the country at the moment," the FAM said.

Palestine were scheduled to play Tajikistan on Friday in the first semi-final, with the winner progressing to play either India or Malaysia in the final. Now, Tajikistan have received a bye to advance directly to the final.

"The format change is the best solution that has been reached at a special meeting between FAM as the organiser of the 2023 Merdeka Cup with the management of the Indian and Tajikistan teams, after taking into account the time constraints following the withdrawal of the Palestinian team," the FAM added.

Palestine are due to play 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Lebanon and Australia in November. They have also qualified for next year's edition of the Asian Cup in Qatar, which will run from January 12 to February 10.