Former Liverpool and Leeds forward ‘spends hours in panic room’ before fleeing Israel amid Hamas war

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Keane has been forced to flee Israel following attacks from Hamas, reports suggest.

Keane took charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv during the summer. And having guided Maccabi to the summit of the Israeli top-flight following four wins and one draw in five games, all matches have been postponed after Hamas attacking the country.

According to talkSPORT, Keane and his assistant manager, former Stoke City and Southampton defender Rory Delap, had to hide in a panic room for hours as bombing by Hamas which reportedly killed more than 700 people took place. The pair then escaped to Greece. Israel have since declared war on Hamas and attacked the Gaza Strip. A total of 1,500 people have reportedly been killed so far during the conflict.

Keane spent six months at Liverpool when he completed a move to his boyhood club from Tottenham Hotspur for £19 million in the summer of 2008. However, he spent just six months at Anfield and struggled, scoring only seven times in 28 games before being sold back to Spurs in the January transfer window.

Having also represented the likes of Inter Milan, Leeds, Wolves, West Ham and Celtic during his playing career, as well as being the Republic of Ireland's record appearance maker and goalscorer, Keane hung up his boots in 2018. He had a brief spell as manager of Indian Super League side ATK while he served in Sam Allardyce’s coaching staff at Leeds during the end of last season.