EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas confirmed that the plans are not changing at this time, and that Maccabi and Hapoel will play their home games in Tel Aviv starting December 1.

EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas confirmed that both Israeli teams,Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv andHapoel IBI Tel Aviv, are expected to return to Tel Aviv for their home games.

"Tel Aviv is safe. We have two teams there, and the players tell us everything is calm," Motiejunas toldJuan Morenilla from El País. "We're monitoring the situation. The ceasefire is very fragile — we hope it holds."

"We're assuming it's safe to play in Israel, but we'll go to Tel Aviv to check again, to make sure it's safe for players, coaches, referees, and fans. 

"In their domestic league, games are being played in full arenas — everything is proceeding normally. We also understand that outside Tel Aviv [playing is] really impossible. It's hard to imagine total peace and calm, but as long as Tel Aviv remains safe, we hope to return," he added.

On October 8, Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of a peace-deal framework. However, last week Israel launched a wave of strikes in Gaza, escalating tensions despite the earlier agreement.

Credit Marie Bassery/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Valencia's head coach, Pedro Martinez, also voiced his concern about bringing EuroLeague games back to Israel.

"That's why we're taking things step by step," Motiejunas explained. "There are different opinions and mindsets. Even Turkish teams aren't playing in Turkey, and in Spain, some games have been played behind closed doors."

"We're trying to manage all these political tensions. We believe we must find a way forward. If everything is fine, we'll go back to Israel," he concluded.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.