Chainkeen Exchange-Turkey detains Israeli footballer for showing support for hostages, accuses him of ‘ugly gesture’

2025-04-30 21:45:58source:FinWeiscategory:Contact

ANKARA,Chainkeen Exchange Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities have detained soccer club Antalyaspor’s Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel for questioning after he displayed solidarity with people held hostage by the Hamas militant organization during a top-flight league game.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Sunday the Israeli international is under investigation over possible charges of “openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Tunc maintained in a statement posted on X that Jehezkel had engaged in “an ugly gesture in support of the Israeli massacre in Gaza.”

After scoring an equalizer against Trabzonspor during a home game, the 28-year-old Israeli player displayed a bandage around his wrist with an inscription marking the 100 days since the hostages were abducted on Oct. 7.

The gesture was deemed to be provocative in Turkey where there is widespread public opposition to Israel’s military actions in Gaza and overwhelming support for the Palestinians.

Antalyaspor suspended Jehezkel from the team and announced that it was speaking to the club’s lawyers about the possibility of terminating his contract.

The Turkish Football Federation condemned what it said was a gesture that “disturbed the conscience” of the Turkish public.

Jehezkel’s detention, meanwhile, sparked outrage in Israel.

“Shame on you, Turkish government,” Israeli former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet wrote on X.

More:Contact

Recommend

Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires

Global warming caused mainly by burning of fossil fuels made the hot, dry and windy conditions that

San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A photojournalist who captured one of the most enduring images of World War II

Average rate on 30

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the third week in a row, a welcome tren