While celebrating the goal, Israeli Jehezkel, who plays in Turkey, recalled the Hamas massacre on October 7th – this has serious consequences. He was temporarily arrested and his club Antalyaspor kicked him out.
Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel has been temporarily arrested in Turkey. The player from the Turkish first division club Antalyaspor showed a message about the Hamas massacre on October 7th in the stadium.
The Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote in the short message service X that the Antalya public prosecutor’s office had initiated proceedings against the Israeli national player for “public incitement to hatred”. The footballer celebrated the “massacre committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.” Tunc emphasized that Turkey would continue to “support the oppressed Palestinians.”
Jehezkel shows message about massacre on October 7th
After his equalizing goal in the 68th minute, Jehezkel held his bandaged arm up to the cameras. On it was handwritten in English the note “100 days” and the date October 7th. and a Star of David.
Antalyaspor subsequently announced the expulsion of the 28-year-old player. The football club explained that this had violated “the values of our country”. Jehezkel only moved from Hapoel Beer Sheva to Antalyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig in September.
Footballer should return to Israel
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the soccer player is now free again and is expected to return to Israel today. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sharply criticized Jehezkel’s interim detention. The scandalous arrest of the football player was an “expression of hypocrisy,” the Israeli minister wrote on the X platform. “In its actions, Turkey acts as the executive arm of Hamas,” it continued.
Gallant also recalled in the post that it was Israel that was one of the first countries to provide aid to Turkey after last year’s devastating earthquake.
Erdogan calls Hamas a “liberator”
Sunday was the 100th day of the Middle East war. On October 7, Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel, killing about 1,140 people and abducting about 250 people to the Gaza Strip.
Since then, Israel has been trying to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure in the Gaza Strip with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 23,900 people have been killed there since then.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly described Israel as a “terrorist state” since the start of the war. On the other hand, he described Hamas as “liberators”.
Thomas Bormann, ARD Istanbul, tagesschau, January 15, 2024 9:58 a.m