Football: two Israeli players accused of inciting hatred for showing their support for hostages held in Gaza

Israeli footballers playing for first division clubs in Turkey find themselves accused of inciting hatred for showing their support for hostages held in Gaza on the occasion of the hundredth day of conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas. Released Monday following his police custody while awaiting his trial, Sagiv Jehezkel, 28, player of the Antalya club (South), was arrested Sunday evening after the Süper Lig match for having worn a bandage on his wrist on which was written “100 days. 07/10” - marking the date of the massacres committed by Palestinian Hamas in Israel and the start of the war in Gaza.

Another Israeli player from the Turkish championship, Eden Karzev, 23, also finds himself in trouble with his Istanbul club, Basaksehir, for having brandished a sign on Instagram demanding in English: “100 – Bring them home NOW” . The Basaksehir club, known for its proximity to the Turkish presidency, announced a disciplinary investigation against the player after this publication, says the NTV channel. For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted strongly to Jehezkel's arrest and assured that he will return home “today”.

“Turkey has become a dark dictatorship, which goes against human values ​​and sporting values,” accused the head of Israeli diplomacy Israel Katz. “Whoever arrests a footballer for an act of identification with 136 people kidnapped, in the hands of a murderous terrorist organization for more than 100 days, represents a culture of murder and hatred,” he added. Mr. Katz concludes by calling on “the international community and international sports organizations to act against Turkey and against its political use of violence and threats against athletes. Today it’s Sagiv Yehezkel, tomorrow it’s another athlete,” he predicted.

Israeli authorities had called on their nationals to leave Turkey immediately after the war in Gaza due to the very strong pro-Palestinian sentiment in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly described Israel as a “terrorist state.”

Sagiv Jehezkel, arrested at the end of the match and excluded from his team, defended himself before the police of any provocation or lack of respect, according to the NTV channel. “I didn’t do anything to provoke anyone. I am not pro-war. There are Israelis being held hostage in Gaza,” he said, according to the private television channel NTV, which claims to have had access to his police interrogation. “I have never disrespected anyone since I was in Turkey. I want the war to stop. “That’s why I showed that sign,” at the end of the match, he defended.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç announced on The player's short message, referring to the hundred days that have passed since the bloody attack launched on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israeli soil, was interpreted by the Turkish Minister of Justice as a testimony of support for the Israeli military operations launched in retaliation in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have left at least 23,968 dead, mainly civilians. The unprecedented attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil caused the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and 140 people are still being held hostage in Gaza.