Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said Tuesday that the conflict in Gaza "broke his heart" but that his team could not forfeit their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Israel next week.

The Nazionale will play Estonia in Tallinn on Saturday evening, but all eyes are on the next match, next Tuesday against Israel in Italy, where the mobilization in support of the Palestinians has grown and there have been calls for the match to be canceled.

"We know we have to play this match, otherwise we would lose 3-0 (on the green carpet, editor's note). But I will say it again: it is very sad to see what is happening to these innocent people, to these children, it is heartbreaking to see all this," Gattuso told reporters on Tuesday.

Last weekend, Italy witnessed some of the largest demonstrations in Europe against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and now in its third year.

On Friday, during a day of action in support of the Palestinians, protesters converged on the Italian national team's training center in Florence to demand that the match be canceled.

Further demonstrations are planned for next Tuesday in Udine, where the match against the Israeli national team will take place. A heavy security presence will be deployed around the match, for which tickets are selling poorly.

"The atmosphere will not be calm, because there will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5,000 to 6,000 inside," predicted the Azzurri coach.

"We want to qualify for the World Cup and I would have preferred to play this match at home in front of an enthusiastic crowd like we did a month ago in Bergamo (during the 5-0 victory against Estonia)," he continued.

Italy, which missed the last two editions of the World Cup, in 2018 and 2022, occupies second place in Group I with 9 points, tied with Israel and six points behind leaders Norway.

Only first place guarantees direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The runners-up in each group will have to go through play-offs.