Turkey probes Israeli football player for inciting hatred
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Sagiv Jehezkel wrote a message on his wrist bandage that read "100 days."
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Sagiv Jehezkel shows a hand-written message on his bandage that says "100 days, 7.10." (AFP)
Anadolu Agency has reported that Sagiv Jehezkel, an Israeli football player for Turkish club Antalyaspor, has been questioned by prosecutors following his detention on allegations of "inciting people to hatred and hostility" and is scheduled to be deported from Turkey.
During a Turkish top division match on Sunday, Jehezkel celebrated his goal with a heart motion and showed the camera his wristband, which contained a hand-drawn Star of David and the words "100 days, 7.10."
For 100 days, the Israeli occupation has been deliberately wiping out residential neighborhoods over the heads of their inhabitants, across the Gaza Strip, aiming to extinguish life in the region and bringing the death toll of the Israeli aggression to 23,968 martyrs and 60,582 injuries since October 7, 2023.
Jehezkel was apprehended on Sunday in Antalya, and a Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc declared that he would be investigated for "'inciting people to hatred and hostility' due to his ugly gesture supporting "Israel's" massacre in Gaza."
According to Anadolu, the 28-year-old midfielder was interviewed on Monday and then freed; he is scheduled to be deported from Turkey on a private jet later that day.
In his police statement, Jehezkel claimed he was shocked about the backlash and promised to apologize to the people of Turkey.
He also claimed his move was only to express that he hoped the war would be halted "as soon as possible."
Antalyaspor backers criticized Jehezkel for his move, arguing that the player had no place in their club. Others protested outside the club's offices late Sunday.
The club reported he would be removed because he "acted against the national values" of Turkey, which has been a severe critic of Israeli strikes on Gaza in the last months, with the Turkish President expressing there was "no distinction" between the ongoing actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the attacks on Gaza and the deeds of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
According to informed sources, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asked his country's officials to skip this year's World Economic Forum in Davos over the organizers' stance on "Israel's" war on Gaza.
They added that Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was going to attend the annual gathering until Erdogan reversed the decision.
