ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police detained Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel and were questioning him on Monday over a message he displayed on his wrist during a top-tier match alluding to the passage of 100 days since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, state media said.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said prosecutors were investigating Jehezkel on a charge of “inciting people to hatred and hostility” for displaying a note written on his bandaged wrist saying “100 days, 7.10”, alongside a Jewish Star of David emblem.
Jehezkel, 28, held his clenched fist aloft to display the message after scoring a goal for his team, the southern Turkish club Antalyaspor, against Trabzonspor in Turkey’s Super Lig on Sunday.
Antalya prosecutors launched an investigation into Jehezkel “due to his ugly gesture supporting Israel’s massacre in Gaza after scoring a goal” Tunc said on social media platform X.
State-owned Anadolu news agency said the process of taking the player’s statement was continuing, citing Antalyaspor’s spokesman saying lawyers were working on annulling his contract.
Fighters from the Islamist group Hamas stormed through Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages.
The subsequent war reached 100 days on Sunday, with Israeli tanks and aircraft hitting targets in southern and central Gaza amid fierce gun battles in some areas. The Gaza health ministry said the death toll from Israeli strikes is almost 24,000, with more than 60,000 wounded.
Rallies in support of the hostages still being held in Gaza were held in Israel and elsewhere on Sunday.
Turkey has been a fierce critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in response to the Oct. 7 attack.
(Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Alex Richardson)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.