[Video] Isreali football players fight with Palestinian pitch invaders in Friendly Match

Maccabi Haifa's pre-season game against Lille in Austria was stopped when pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the pitch.

With Lille winning 2-0, supporters of reportedly Turkish origin entered the pitch and headed for the Maccabi players, including captain Yossi Benayoun, formerly of Chelsea, Liverpool and QPR.

One of the players is seen to trip a fan before punches were thrown. The Maccabi stars - some of whom retaliated - managed to leave the field unhurt. Continue reading to watch video below...

 

Hitting back: Several Maccabi Haifa players were spotted fighting back after being attacked

Pro-Palestinian supporters attacked the Maccabi Haifa players

Israeli football players fight with Palestinian pitch invaders

Maccabi coach Aleksandar Stanojevic was said to have punched a protester.

The referee was forced to stop the game in the 86th minute before eventually bringing the game to an end early.

Banners calling for the liberation of Palestine were also displayed by certain sections of the crowd. 

Israel is currently engaged in hostilities with Hamas, a militant group that runs the Gaza Strip.

Before the ugly scenes, Lille had been ahead thanks to goals from Ryan Mendes and Simon Kjaer.

Last month UEFA announced that Israeli clubs could not host European matches due to the 'unrest' in Israel.

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