PARIS — French authorities have stepped up security in Paris ahead of a France-Israel football match on Thursday (Nov 14), hoping to avoid a repeat of violent clashes between locals and Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last week.

The Nations League match at the Stade de France comes at a fraught moment, with diplomatic relations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu strained by Israel's war in Gaza.

Some 4,000 police will secure the event, deployed in the stadium, outside the ground and on public transport, the Paris police force said.

"It's an exceptional measure, three to four times greater than what we usually mobilise," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio on Wednesday.

Only French and Israel flags would be allowed inside the stadium, he added.

Macron will attend the game in a show of solidarity, while Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said after the Amsterdam clashes there was never any question the game would go ahead as planned.

Still, turnout will likely be low, with just 20,000 fans expected in the 80,000 capacity stadium north of Paris.

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