By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
Footballers supporting Palestine are under pressure Friday from their European clubs and politicians.
Several players who showed support for Palestine during the ongoing conflict with Israel were excluded from their team squads.
German Bundesliga club Mainz 05 announced Tuesday they relieved Anwar El Ghazi from training and matchday-related duties because of a since-deleted social media post that was deemed “unacceptable” by the club.
Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) politician Johannes Steiger demanded that Bayern Munich's Moroccan player Noussair Mazraoui, who shared an Instagram post supporting Palestine, be cut off from the club and deported.
Despite the demand, Bayern announced that Mazraoui “rejects terror and war” and will remain at the club.
Valerie Boyer, a Senator for Bouches-du-Rhone of France, wanted former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to be stripped of his 2022 Ballon d'Or award and his French citizenship revoked for his alleged connection to the Muslim Brotherhood, which France considers a terror organization.
"All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare no women or children," Benzema, who left Real Madrid for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad Club in June, wrote Sunday on X.
The French Ligue 1’s OGC Nice announced Wednesday that the club decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice.
Atal, 27, showed support for Palestine in a video Saturday on Instagram.
- More and more players show support for Palestine
Despite the pressure, more and more players show support for Palestine.
Arsenal's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Real Betis' French player Nabil Fekir voiced support for Palestinians last week on social media, while Liverpool's Egyptian star Mohamed Salah donated to Palestinians, Egyptian Red Crescent CEO Rami Al-Nazer told a local television station on the telephone.
The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, along with stepping up raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank.
Officials have said more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed in the conflict.