The two fixtures, which took place at neutral grounds, had been surrounded by controversy since the teams were placed together in Group B3 in February.
Republic of Ireland players came under sustained pressure to pull out of the matches amid the continuing Israel-Gaza conflict. The “Stop The Game” campaign, organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, held demonstrations before and during Thursday’s fixture against Austria in Dublin.
Tensions escalated in Serbia, where players from the Republic of Ireland and Israel confronted one another after the final whistle.
Following the match, Hallgrimsson said he believed Israel had attempted to unsettle his side from the opening whistle.
He praised his players for remaining calm, saying the match could easily have produced several yellow and red cards. He added that the team maintained its composure and managed its emotions effectively.
When questioned about the incident at half-time, Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he had not witnessed it.
He explained that he had spent the interval in his room with his coaching staff.
Ben-Shimon repeated that he had seen nothing and said he would respond after having an opportunity to review what happened.
Although there were calls for a boycott and goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu declared himself unavailable for both matches, the FAI ultimately chose to play the two fixtures.
Neither match included the customary pre-game formalities, while the Irish players lowered their heads as Israel’s national anthem was played.
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