Yael Arad, president of the Israeli Olympic Committee, understands that under these circumstances, “it is difficult to focus on sport, especially when athletes from my country face death threats, see their personal lives exposed on social media, or become the target of booing and antisemitic attitudes.”

According to Arad, due to this tense atmosphere, the 88 members of her delegation staying in the Olympic Village are constantly accompanied by elite units of the French police and gendarmerie, a protective measure “that is sometimes difficult to manage.” Despite this, the team has already won half a dozen medals at these Games and is also well-positioned to win more in the upcoming events.

The chairwoman is Ashlee Bond, a member of Israel’s equestrian jumping team. “We have armed guards with us 24 hours a day,” the athlete explains. “The place where we are staying is like a closed compound. We cannot leave without armed guards. And we can only travel between the Village and the competition venue and back.”

This stems from the climate of tension in the Middle East since 7 October, when a Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 Israelis. Since then, according to an estimate by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza due to Israeli retaliations, while the territory faces severe food shortages and malnutrition.

The situation in that region has been further aggravated by a recent rocket attack by the military group Hezbollah, which killed 12 children playing football in the annexed Golan Heights. This is compounded by the killing of a Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, attributed to Israel, and a high-ranking Hezbollah commander, which Israel has claimed responsibility for.

This is the broad scenario that has affected the delegations of both teams in these Olympics. Before the sporting events began, the Palestinian Olympic Committee demanded Israel's exclusion for violating the truce surrounding each Olympics and for allegedly killing up to 400 Palestinian athletes and sportspeople.

Arad called the boycott request from her Palestinian counterpart, Jibril Rajoub, a “shame.” “I think it is a shame that instead of focusing on sport, they bring politics into the playing field.” In the same vein, she added that Rajoub is “a convicted terrorist” who spent 17 years in prison for attacking Israeli soldiers.

Arad also defended Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik, who won a bronze medal in judo, and faced criticism from Rajoub and other pro-Palestinian activists for a social media post he made last October. Paltchik posted an image of a bombing, sending a message equating Hamas with ISIS. “It is not about being against a country or a people, but against a terrorist organisation,” Arad pointed out in defence of the athlete.

The security surrounding the Israeli team is exceptionally strict, with elite French police monitoring the athletes all day and accompanying them whenever they leave the Olympic Village. Arad said, “Israeli competitors are used to being protected since the 1972 Munich Games, when the Palestinian military group Black September killed Israeli athletes in the Village.” “We trust in the security of Paris. And my role, along with my team, is to give these athletes the chance to focus solely on sport,” she concluded.

The Israeli athletes are trying to avoid generating further controversy over the matter. “If you’re a bit clever, you understand that it’s a sensitive issue and as athletes, it’s not our role to get involved,” said Robin Muhr, a rider born in France who now competes for Israel.

Israeli competitors have been subjected to boos and hostile messages during their events. For instance, during the football match between Israel and Paraguay at the Parc des Princes stadium, a banner reading "Genocide Olympics" was displayed in the stands. However, there has also been some support for them from the public, as seen in the equestrian competitions in Versailles, where spectators waved Israeli flags as the riders passed by.