Israeli footballer: I apologise to all Turkish people for this action

Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel, who was detained due to his actions during a Turkish Super League match, was released from detention on Monday.

Jehezkel, after scoring a goal in the Antalyaspor-Trabzonspor match, was detained for "inciting public animosity and hostility" over his gesture in support of Israel’s aggression against Palestinians since October 7.

During his statement to the police, Jehezkel said that before entering the field, he had written "100 days" and "07.10" on the white bandage around his injured left wrist and drawn a Star of David, in the locker room.

He emphasised that there was no teammate or member of the technical staff with him at that time.

"My goal was to draw attention to the 100th day of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel,” Jehezkel said.

"About 2 hours after the match, I realised that the gesture I made during the match had spread on social media and caused reactions,” he said.

“I sincerely apologise to the entire Turkish people for this gesture I made during the match. I regret it. I did not intend to provoke anyone. I also did not think it could lead to such a reaction."

Antalyaspor announced that Jehezkel has been excluded from the squad.