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Argentina cancelled their World Cup warm-up match against Israel under political pressure over recent events in Gaza, according to reports in Argentinian media.

The organisers of the match, due to be played in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on Saturday, were informed that the decision is final. An official statement from the Argentine FA is expected today.

A number of demonstrations against the friendly were held in both Argentina and Spain, where the squad is currently based at a training camp in preparation for the world cup that begins in Russia on 14 June.

Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub led a vocal political campaign to cancel the game, claiming it would be played on “occupied land” and telling Claudio Tapia, the head of the Argentinian FA, that the Israeli government was using the event as a “political tool”.

Rajoub personally appealed to Argentina captain Lionel Messi on Sunday, warning him that his Arab fans would “abandon him” if he were to play.

Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said that some of the players “were not willing to play,” and the Argentine media reported that some members of the squad had received death threats.

Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín told ESPN: “They’ve finally done the right thing. Rationale and health come before everything else. We think it’s best not go to Israel.”

The team’s manager Jorge Sampaoli hinted that travel logistics may have also played a part in the decision, saying: “From a sporting point of view, I would have preferred to play in Barcelona”. The match was originally scheduled to be played in Haifa, but the Ministry for Culture and Sport encouraged it to be moved to Jerusalem as part of the Israel 70 celebrations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by Argentine President Mauricio Macri late last night that he was unable to prevent the cancellation.