Israeli football player arrested for condemning Hamas attacks while celebrating his goal
Sagiv Jehezkel, Israeli midfielder for Antalyaspor The Turkish national has been arrested after displaying a message condemning Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 while celebrating the goal his team tied with on Sunday.
The player, who is due to give a statement in front of a judge today, has been arrested for “publicly inciting hatred and enmity after the goal due to his ugly support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza”, as reported Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç.
Furthermore, Antalyaspor has announced that it is terminating the contract with the footballer it signed last year for “showing a message contrary to Turkey’s national values”.
In his statement to the police yesterday the footballer assured that it was not his intention to provoke anyone and he assured that he was not in favor of war.
“During my stay in Turkey I have always been respectful towards people. I want the war to end,” he said during interrogation, according to NTV radio.
After scoring the goal, Jezekiel showed a band on his arm that read “100 days” and the date October 7, The day last year when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and abducted about 250 others.
Jehezkel He had already been temporarily suspended for refusing to take part in an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people before the match with Gaziantep on 21 October.
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The Turkish government has been highly critical of Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Gaza, which have already killed 24,000 people and left 7,000 missing under the debris of destroyed buildings, according to the Hamas-controlled Strip government.