The Israel National Team began its preparations for the European Championship this week and on Thursday held an exciting training session as the blue-and-white hosted the children of Kfar Aza at the Tel Aviv-Jaffa National Sports Center for an unforgettable training session in collaboration with Harel Insurance and Finance Group, the main sponsor of the national team.

The children of Gaza Village, who experienced the horrors of October 7 and have since been evacuated from their homes and are undergoing a complex rehabilitation journey, enjoyed an inspiring day in the heart of Israel’s sports community. During the training, the children played, hugged and took pictures with the players, received a personal gift and most importantly experienced moments of hope and faith. For them, it was much more than a training session. It was an encounter for an inspiring future.

Deni Avdija, Israel’s current representative in the NBA spoke about having the opportunity to take part in the special day, “It’s fun to host the children. They are dreaming of reaching the highest of places, to a place that I and all of us here dreamed of when we were children. They have been telling us some very difficult stories to understand and comprehend but we are all with them, our hearts are with them and the least we can do is make them happy and show that we are here for them.”

The Portland Trail Blazers forward also spoke about the preparations for the upcoming Eurobasket tournament, “The atmosphere is good and we were able to really look back at the previous championship and learn a number of lessons. We are very united and we are aiming to go very far. We want to go far and we want to succeed.”

Due to NBA rules, Avdija has not been training with the team and has been observing all of the action from the bench, “I’m itching to train but I also always like to watch the training session from the sidelines and see how I would fit in. Really, these are guys I grew up with, that I played with, but there are contracts, what can I do? I have to listen to the NBA rules and regulations as I also have a long season ahead of me, so I have to be smart about what I have to do, that’s it.

Avdija commented on the potential to do some very ones things together, “I think we are super talented and many of the guys here have had many have had very good seasons. They have gone through many experiences and I feel like we have drawn a lot of conclusions from the last championship. We are very united now.”

Liat Sadan, VP of Marketing, Strategy and Advertising for the Harel Group, “Since October 7, we have been working non-stop to support, strengthen and embrace Israeli society. Among all our volunteering and support activities, we decided to adopt Kibbutz Kfar Gaza the first week after October 7 and we are in contact with the kibbutz and support it to this day wherever we can. Part of our goals in sponsoring the Israeli basketball team is to emphasize the healing process and the optimism in the Israeli people. The event with the children of Kfar Aza is a way to express these values, in order to give them moments of joy and excitement on the one hand as well as meaning for the players of the national team on the other. Magic is created when sport meets the heart.”

Amos Frishman, Chairman of the Basketball Association added, “When we decided to connect with the Harel team, it was clear to us that basketball is not just a competition, it is first and foremost a community. We see a privilege and a mission in opening our hearts to children from around Israel and standing by them even outside the confines of the court. Not only were the children excited by this meeting, but so were the players and I. This is just one of a series of community events that we will hold in the coming year.”

Ronit Ifergan, representative of the parents of the children of Kfar Aza, “We thank the Harel company, the Israel Basketball Association and the national team from the bottom of our hearts for their generosity and we would like to host you in Kfar Aza after the reconstruction of the kibbutz and the community buildings is complete. On this occasion, it is important for us to mention that many hostages are still in Gaza, including our friends Gali and Ziv Berman and we hope to see them soon at a Israel National Team game.”