UPDATE 2 - Following furor over gesture, Israeli player for Turkish football team to return to Israel by private jet

ADDS INFO ON ISRAELI PLAYER TO RETURN TO ISRAEL, HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE CHANGE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Suleyman Elcin, Gulsem Adam, Tahsin Kucukkaraca, Sinan Ozmus and Oktay Ozden

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) – An Israeli player for a Turkish football team who was briefly detained after making a pro-Israel gesture about the Gaza conflict during a weekend match, and was then let go by the club, is set to return to Israel, according to officials at Bitexen Antalyaspor.

Sagiv Jehezkel, 28, who was arrested early Monday for his gesture after scoring a goal on Sunday and then released, will return to Israel later Monday by private jet, said Alkan Evren, Antalyaspor's vice president and spokesman.

The process of terminating his contract with the club is still ongoing, Evren added.

After scoring in Sunday’s match against Trabzonspor, Jehezkel raised his bandaged hand bearing a Jewish Star of David symbol to mark 100 days of Israeli attacks on Gaza following an Oct. 7 cross-border raid by Palestinian group Hamas.

Jehezkel was first taken off the squad, and then, facing an official investigation, was arrested for inciting public hatred and enmity.

On Monday the Israeli winger was released by a Turkish court.

Jehezkel apologized for his acts, saying that he meant to "draw attention to the 100th day of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel," which fell on Sunday, adding: “I want the war to end as soon as possible.”

He also reportedly told police in a statement: “I wholeheartedly apologize to all Turkish people for this action I made during the match. I regret (it). I didn't want to make any provocations. I didn't think it could cause such a reaction.”

The Turkish football body condemned Jehezkel's "completely unacceptable behavior," and a disciplinary investigation was initiated.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.

More than 24,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The UN says at least 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water. and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.