2nd Israeli Soccer Player Detained in Turkey
Eden Kartsev, an Israeli professional soccer player in Turkey, was detained by the country’s authorities in response to his public display of sympathy for the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. Kartsev is the second Israeli player in Turkey to be arrested for a “political” display in a matter of days.
According to Hebrew media reports on Monday, the 23-year-old midfielder for Istanbul Basaksehir has been subsequently discharged and booked on a flight back to Israel.
The Istanbul soccer club has announced a disciplinary inquiry into Kartsev’s social media activity, specifically his reposting of a message about the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, reading, “Bring Them Home Now.”
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Monday’s news of Kartsev’s arrest and deportation follows an earlier report of another Israeli player in the Turkish league, Sagiv Jehezkel, being detained by Turkish law enforcement under similar circumstances.
After scoring the game-tying goal on Sunday against Trabzonspor in the elite Turkish Süper Lig, Jehezkel brought his hands to the camera in the shape of a heart, displaying a wristband with the words “100 days. October 7,” etched alongside a Star of David.
After being called for questioning, Jehezkel, who plays for Antalyaspor, was released and then promptly suspended from the team amid Turkish authorities’ ongoing investigation.
It has been over 100 days since Hamas invaded southern Israel, taking more than 240 hostages into the Gaza Strip, of whom 132 are still held captive.
