Puma to terminate sponsorship of Israel's national soccer team

German sportswear maker Puma said Tuesday it would end a sponsorship deal with the Israeli national football team in a decision reportedly made before the beginning of the war in Gaza.

Following a strategy review carried out at the end of 2022, Puma would stop outfitting the Israeli team from next year, the company said.

"While two newly signed national teams -- including a new statement team -- will be announced later this year and in 2024, the contracts of some federations such as Serbia and Israel will expire in 2024," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

"These decisions were taken in 2022 in line with the regular timelines for the design (and) development of the team jerseys," the spokeswoman said.

The deal with Israel, which was signed in 2018, prompted calls to boycott the sportswear brand.

Campaigners accused Puma of endorsing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank through its deal with the Israeli FA, which includes teams from the occupied Palestinian territory.

Puma was on the BDS list due to its links to Israel, although it is not clear if the sportswear maker ended its relations with the Israeli team due to the protest.

Despite this, Pro-Palestine supporters claimed the boycott campaign had put enough pressure on Puma.

After years of BDS campaigning that has cost German conglomerate @PUMA dearly in reputation and projects, we have forced it to abandon its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association in this time of Israel's #GazaGenocide. pic.twitter.com/E5YJpU295N

— PACBI - BDS movement (@PACBI) December 12, 2023

The outbreak in October of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has strengthened longstanding calls to boycott products which support Israel.

The war was triggered when Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages - 137 of whom remain in Gaza, Israeli officials say.

In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and began intense bombardments and a ground offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 18,200 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.