Istanbul – A Turkish court on Monday released an Israeli soccer player who was arrested after he showed a message related to the Israel-Hamas war during a premier league match. Sagiv Jehezkel, 28, wore a bandage on Sunday that read “100 days. 07/10” next to a Star of David when he scored a goal for Antalyaspor against Trabzonspor.
Turkish prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Jehezkel's alleged “incitement to hatred” and his club terminated the player's contract for “behavior contrary to the sensitivities of our country.”
NTV television reported that a private plane was sent from Israel on Monday to pick up Jehezkel and his family so they could return home.
Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel of Antalyaspor shows his bandage with the inscription “100 days, 7,10”, referring to the terrorist attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, after scoring a goal during the Turkish Super League soccer match against Trabzonspor in Antalya, Turkey, January 14, 2024. OBTAINED FROM Portal
Jehezkel's detention was strongly condemned by senior Israeli officials on Monday, bringing relations between the two regional powers to a new low.
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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Yehezkel's “scandalous arrest” an “expression of hypocrisy” on the part of Turkey, which was quick to offer aid after a devastating earthquake last year. Gallant said that Turkey was acting as the executive arm of Hamas in its actions against the soccer player.
Jehezkel told police he “didn’t intend to provoke anyone.”
“I am not a supporter of war,” the private news agency DHA reported about him.
The message on the bandage referred to the 100 days since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which was marked on Sunday. On October 7, Hamas militants launched an attack in Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 240 others, 132 of whom are still in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials.
In retaliation, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 23,968 people in Palestinian territory, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
US officials are urging Israel to change its tactics
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become one of Israel's harshest critics in the Muslim world over the level of death and destruction in Gaza.
Jehezkel displayed the Star of David – a symbol of Judaism that is depicted on Israel's national flag. He said he never intended to get involved in politics and had been careful to respect Turkey's cultural sensibilities since signing with the Mediterranean coast club in September.
“After all, there are also Israeli soldiers who are captured in Gaza. I am someone who believes that this 100 day period should end now. I want the war to end. That’s why I showed the sign,” he reportedly told police. “Since the day I arrived, I have not treated anyone disrespectfully. The point I wanted to draw attention to was the end of the war.”
Antalyaspor said it fired Jehezkel because he “acted against our country’s values.”
“Our board will never tolerate behavior that goes against the sensibilities of our country, whether it is about the championship or the cup,” the club said in a social media post.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) also condemned what it called Jehezkel's “totally unacceptable behavior” and said Antalyaspor's decision to exclude the player from its team was “appropriate.”
In a separate incident, Istanbul first division club Basaksehir said it was opening a disciplinary investigation against another Israeli player, Eden Karzev, for reposting a social media message about the hostages that read “Take them home now.” .
Israel and Hamas at war
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