ZURICH - Israel will be allowed to participate in ice hockey’s U20 World Championships Division III tournament in Bulgaria after the sport’s governing body received safety assurances from Bulgarian authorities, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said on Jan 17.

In early January, the IIHF announced that Israel had been barred from participating in international competitions, citing safety concerns.

“We are grateful to the Bulgarian authorities, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Interior, the local police and all our stakeholders for their support and assistance in this matter,” the IIHF said in a statement.

The IIHF announced that they will make further decisions regarding Israel’s participation in future tournaments in February.

The U20 World Championship Division III, Group A will take place in Sofia from Jan 22-29.

Hamas fighters killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct 7 in the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history, prompting an Israeli retaliatory ground and air offensive.

Since then more than 24,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. REUTERS