Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says he spoke to players in his squad individually about the prospect of facing Israel, and “none of us feel comfortable playing in these games”.

Both of the forthcoming Nations League fixtures between the sides are scheduled for neutral venues, with Israel’s ‘home’ game to be played in Hungary on 27 September, and the reverse fixture in Serbia on 4 October.

The Football Association of Ireland confirmed its ‘home’ tie would be played behind closed doors, while no tickets will be made available for Irish fans for their ‘away’ game.

After announcing his latest squad, which will also visit Kosovo on 24 September and face Austria at home on 1 October, Hallgrimsson said he had spoken to his players individually “because we shouldn’t be doing this in a group talk”.

“Obviously we have different opinions, different strength of opinions,” he said.

“I think it’s best to say, without going into individuals, none of us feel comfortable playing in these games but once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one.”

At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games amid concerns that boycotting would cause “significant and lasting harm” for the association.

However, the decision has come under increasing pressure, with a ‘Stop The Game’ campaign launched by Irish Sport for Palestine calling for a boycott.

The campaign has received support from former manager Brian Kerr and ex-player James McClean, and May’s friendly against Qatar in Dublin was disrupted when tennis balls thrown onto the pitch.

The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza. The United Nations believes the retaliation has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.

Israel has regularly denied committing genocide or war crimes and has said its actions in Gaza have been justified as a means of self-defence.

Earlier this week, FAI director of football John Martin said the games had created a “very uncomfortable situation for everyone” and insisted players “shouldn’t be in a position where they get criticised”.

“We want to represent Ireland with the best games and performances that we can. That’s the agreement with all of us,” added Hallgrimsson.

“Obviously we don’t all share the same opinion. That’s just human nature.”

The Nations League games mark the Republic of Ireland’s first competitive action since their World Cup play-off semi-final defeat by the Czech Republic in March.

Since the penalty shootout loss in Prague, they have played four friendlies, beating Grenada and Qatar and drawing with North Macedonia and Canada.