The Minister of National Security of Israel, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, called the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a "Nazi" this Monday, after the brief arrest of an Israeli soccer player from Antalyaspor who celebrated a goal denouncing the Hamas massacre carried out last year. October 7.
"Erdogan is a full-fledged Nazi," Ben Gvir said in a statement on the social network
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Turkey of serving as the "de facto executive arm of Hamas." In a post on
The release of the player without being sent to trial means, according to the experts consulted by EFE, that no charges have been filed against him.
For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Israeli midfielder will return to Israel today, on a private plane, after being briefly detained and interrogated after showing a gesture of support for Israel on Sunday during a match against Trabzonspor that ended in a tie.
After scoring the goal of the game for his team, Jehezkel showed a bandage covering his hand that read "100 days" and the date October 7 next to a Star of David, commemorating the Hamas massacre in which 1,200 died people and about 240 were kidnapped.
The player was arrested for "publicly inciting hatred and enmity after the goal due to his ugly support for Israel's massacre in Gaza," according to Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç.
In his statement, Jehezkel, 28, indicated that by displaying that message, which also featured a Star of David, a symbol of Israel, he only intended to ask for an end to the war. "I did not act to incite or provoke anyone. I am not a pro-war person," Jehezkel said, according to broadcaster NTV.
"There are Israeli soldiers held hostage in Gaza. I am someone who believes this 100-day period should end now. I want the war to end. That's why I showed the message here," he said through a translator during his interrogation.
The Antalyaspor board decided to exclude Jehezkel from its team for "acting against the national values of our country" by displaying the message, according to a club statement. "I saw with sadness and surprise how Sagiv Jehezkel acted against the sensibilities of Antalya, Antalyaspor and our country," club president Sinan Boztepe said on X.
Jehezkel had already been temporarily suspended for refusing to participate in an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people before the match with Gaziantep on October 21. The Turkish Football Federation described the player's behavior as "unacceptable".
This Monday, 24,100 deaths were reached in the Gaza Strip, while the wounded reached 60,834, after 101 days of war with Israeli troops, according to the latest figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
