Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack over 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 Oct 13 to 17 along with India, Tajikistan and host country, 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,” FAM said.

The team is scheduled to play the 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 Jan 12 to Feb 10, 2024.