Turkish authorities on Monday charged Israel international Sagiv Jehezkel with inciting hatred after he expressed solidarity with people held hostage by the Hamas militant organization during a Turkish Super Lig soccer game.
The Antalyaspor player, who was released from custody pending trial, was due to return to Israel later on Monday aboard a private jet, said Alkan Evren, the team’s spokesman.
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Jehezkel, 28, had been detained for questioning late Sunday after he displayed a bandage on his wrist with the words “100 Days 7.10” — in reference to Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel and the hostages were abducted — next to a Star of David.
The Israeli international told police he was simply calling for an end to the war.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Sunday that Jehezkel was under investigation for “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.”
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.
During his questioning by police, the player denied accusations that he engaged in a provocative act, the private DHA news agency reported.
“I am not pro-war,” DHA quoted him telling the police. “I want this 100-day process to come to an end. I want the war to end.”
Jehezkel continued: “I have never engaged in anything related to politics since my arrival. I have never disrespected anyone since the day I arrived. The point I wanted to draw attention to was [the need] for an end of the war.”
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.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on the international community and sports groups to take steps against Turkey and its “political use of violence and threats against athletes.”