Israel Finishes 10th at European Youth Handball Championship with Top Scorer Jonathan Pelech

Israel's youth handball team achieved a significant milestone by finishing 10th at the European Youth Handball Championship, concluding their impressive summer campaign on August 9, 2026. Despite a 39-29 loss to North Macedonia in their final match, the team earned considerable respect for their performance. Jonathan Pelech stood out individually, securing the tournament's top scorer title with 97 goals. Pelech needed five goals to clinch the top scorer spot, achieving this by the 14th minute of the game and celebrating modestly.

The match began well for Israel, with Michalis and Gorbich opening the scoring and Pelech contributing two goals to bring the score to 2-6. North Macedonia quickly narrowed the gap to 7-6, but Nevo Masika scored to restore Israel's lead at 9-12. Ruben Oanono, the goalkeeper, impressively scored from his own goal to make it 10-14. The teams exchanged goals, and Rom Tobis's strike gave Israel a 19-20 lead at halftime. However, in the second half, Israel struggled against North Macedonia's defense, eventually losing the match. Masika tied the score at 23-23 before Israel's offense faltered.

Looking ahead, the Israeli youth team will compete in the Under-19 World Championship next summer, while the junior team will participate in the Under-21 World Championship. The final goal scorers for Israel included Nevo Masika with 9 goals, Jonathan Pelech with 7, and Michalis with 4, among others. Goalkeeper Ruben Oanono made 6 saves, Amit Maroz 4, and Itamar Mashraki 2. This historic 10th-place finish and Pelech's scoring achievement mark a breakthrough for Israeli handball on the international stage.