Can Erozden
25 October 2023•Update: 25 October 2023
ANKARA
Israeli basketball club Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will play their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague home games in Serbia, organizers said Tuesday.
"In a meeting held in Istanbul, Turkiye, on October 24, the Euroleague Commercial Assets' shareholders have agreed that Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will play all of its upcoming home games at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Serbia's capital, Belgrade," according to a EuroLeague statement.
Organizers said Maccabi Tel Aviv will play their first home game Nov. 9 against Germany's Bayern Munich.
"Maccabi's Round 6 meeting with Real Madrid, which was originally scheduled for November 2, is suspended and will be played at a later date," said EuroLeague.
"This decision has been taken considering the impossible nature of hosting games in Tel Aviv due to security concerns derived from the ongoing armed conflict in the area," it added.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, who last won the EuroLeague in 2014, is one of the prominent clubs in Europe.
The change of venue came after the conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
More than 7,100 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 5,791 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
