The Israel Football Association (IFA) has lashed out at Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, labeling his remarks 'foolish, ignorant, and hypocritical' after he described Israel's actions in Gaza as a 'genocide'.

Ireland is set to kick off its UEFA Nations League campaign against Kosovo on Thursday.

However, controversy has swirled around their upcoming double-header against Israel ever since the tournament draw, with mounting calls from various quarters to boycott the matches in protest of the ongoing situation in Gaza.

When asked last week during a squad announcement about the challenge of keeping his players focused amidst the controversy surrounding the Israel fixtures, Hallgrímsson replied, "We are not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide. We are playing against Israel, not with Israel."

Reports indicate that following Hallgrímsson's comments, the Israel Football Association is considering filing an official complaint with UEFA.

In a post on its official X account on Monday, the IFA wrote: "We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields and won many Nobel Prizes. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a remedy for the foolishness, ignorance, and hypocrisy of the Ireland team coach."

The post added, "We are not playing against ignorance, hypocrisy, and foolishness; we are playing against the coach who embodies them all."

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has not yet issued an immediate statement regarding the incident.

The Ireland coach also voiced his stance against Israel over the Gaza situation last year.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when FIFA and UEFA slapped Russia with bans, Hallgrímsson publicly questioned why Israel had not faced similar sanctions for its military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

Ireland is scheduled to play its 'away' match against Israel on September 27 at a neutral venue in Debrecen, Hungary. Subsequently, the two teams' designated 'home' fixture will take place on October 4 in Bačka Topola, Serbia.

The FAI decided to move the match away from Dublin, citing security and operational challenges.

Meanwhile, over 160 Irish athletes have issued an open letter to the national football team urging them to boycott the matches against Israel.

In September of last year, an independent UN investigative commission concluded that Israel had committed and was continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza—an allegation that Israeli authorities have firmly rejected.