Sagiv Yehezkel, who plays for the Turkish soccer team Antalyaspor, landed in Israel this evening (Monday) after he was questioned by Turkish authorities for paying tribute to the hostages who have been held by the Hamas terrorist organization for over 100 days in Gaza.
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said upon his return, "Welcome home Sagiv! We are happy to announce the return home of the Israeli player Sagiv Yehezkel together with his family."
Zohar added, "I thank all the parties who worked throughout the night and morning with dedication and responsibility to resolve the issue, including the chairman of IFA chairman [Moshe] Shino Zuares, the Foreign Ministry, the Shin Bet and the Mossad organization."
The Turkish government launched a probe against Yehezkel after the Israeli player scored a goal in his team's game earlier on Sunday and dedicated it to the hostages who have been held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 100 days.
After the incident, Yehezkel's team decided to suspend him and announced that they had started procedures to nullify his contract.
Yehezkel was accused of the crime of "public incitement of the public to hatred and hostility" and for "supporting the massacre carried out by Israel in Gaza."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been supportive of the Hamas terrorist organization since Hamas massacred 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and has repeatedly condemned Israel for retaliating against Hamas. Erdogan has accused Israel of genocide and compared Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hitler.
Many Israeli politicians strongly condemned the Turkish government for detaining Yehezkel. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, "Turkey has become a dark dictatorship, which works against the values of humanity and sportsmanship."
Katz added, "Whoever arrests a soccer player for an act of identification with 136 hostages who have been in the hands of terrorists of a murderous terrorist organization for over 100 days, represents a culture of murder and hatred. I call on the international community and the international sports organizations to act against Turkey and against its political use of violence and threats against athletes. Today it's Sagiv Yehezkel, tomorrow it will be another athlete."
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated: "When the earthquake happened in Turkey less than a year ago, Israel was the first country to stand up and extend aid that saved the lives of many Turkish citizens."
"The scandalous arrest of the footballer Sagiv Yehezkel is an expression of hypocrisy and ingratitude. In its actions, Turkey serves as the executive arm of Hamas," Gallant said.
Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that "Turkey under the antisemitic Erdogan is treating Israel as an enemy state."
"Israel should consider filing a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Turkey for its occupation of Northern Cyprus and its ethnic cleansing of Greek-Cypriots, as well as its occupation of Northern Syria and its ethnic cleansing of Kurds. The Israelis should remove Turkey from the holiday of partners and prevent the import of goods from it," Sa'ar said.