According to Turkish media reports, an Israeli footballer was arrested after displaying a message about the Israel-Hamas war during a match in Turkey. Earlier on Sunday, the country’s justice minister announced an investigation into Sagiv Jehezkel for suspected “incitement to hate” after his club, Antalyaspor, fired him over the incident.
Sagiv Jehezkel was fired from the club, Antalyaspor
After scoring a goal for his team against Trabsonspor, Jehezkel revealed a message reading “100 days.”. 07/10″ on a bandage around his left wrist.
The message referred to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the number of days that more than 130 Israeli hostages have been held in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas has killed at least 23,000 people in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children.
“The Antalya public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation against Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel for public incitement to hate due to his odious celebration in favor of the massacre committed by Israel in Gaza,” said Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc in a post online.
“We will continue to support the oppressed Palestinians,” he said, denouncing the ongoing “genocide” in Gaza.
Antalyaspor said it fired the Israeli player, accusing him of “acting against the values of our country.”
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, has referred to Israel as a “terrorist state” and Hamas as a “group of liberators” throughout the conflict.
