Irish taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin has condemned the Israel Football Association's personal attack on Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson as "unacceptable" and demanded that the governing body withdraw its remarks.

The Israel FA accused Hallgrimsson of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity" in a post on X on Monday, in response to comments made by the Ireland manager last week about the two nations' upcoming meetings.

"We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel," said Hallgrimsson.

The teams are set to meet twice in the space of a week in the Nations League, with Israel's 'home' fixture staged in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday, before the return game at a second neutral venue, Backa Topola in Serbia, on 4 October.

"Unacceptable remarks that should be withdrawn"

Martin, who was speaking from New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly, did not hold back in his assessment of the Israeli governing body's post.

"They are unacceptable remarks and should be withdrawn," he told reporters.

"We're very clear and I think [UN secretary-general] Antonio Guterres said it again this morning, he has never in his lifetime seen the level and scale of death and destruction as he witnessed in terms of the Israeli government's war on Gaza in the aftermath of the horrific Hamas attack preceding the war. Our manager is saying the exact same thing.

"Israel can't keep denying what the world knows and what the world understands."

Israel FA's mocking social media post

In its message on X, the Israel FA wrote: "We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way.

"Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by @IrelandFootball team coach.

"We're not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We're playing against the coach who embodies them."

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) did not respond to the post.

Growing calls in Ireland for a boycott

Martin's intervention comes amid increasing calls in Ireland for a boycott of the fixtures. A protest was held outside the Republic of Ireland team hotel in Dublin on Monday, following an open letter by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group — signed by more than 160 Irish sportspeople — urging the FAI to withdraw from the fixtures because of the situation in Gaza.

The backdrop to the row

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, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

Israel has repeatedly denied that it has committed genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It says its military operations in Gaza have been conducted in self-defence and in accordance with international law.