Mainz 05 Suspends Striker Anwar El Ghazi Over Israel-Palestine Comments

The club, after becoming aware of these statements, quickly described El Ghazi’s position as "intolerable", opting for his immediate withdrawal from training sessions and upcoming matches.

The Mainz 05 club opted to sideline El Ghazi, following a controversial post by the latter, now deleted. This, posted last Sunday, depicted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not as a war, but as a "genocide" and "massive destruction". The player, in support of the Palestinian people, affirmed that "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".

"It’s not a war. When one side cuts off the water, food and electricity of the other, it’s not war. When one side has nuclear weapons, it’s not war. When one side receives billions of dollars in funding, it’s not war. When one side uses artificial intelligence images to spread misinformation about the other, it’s not war. When social media censor the content of one side and not the other, it’s not war," he concluded.

Faced with the turmoil, the German club sought to reaffirm its position, acknowledging the existence of "different perspectives" regarding the conflict in the Middle East. However, the club clearly indicated that El Ghazi’s statements do not correspond to the values it promotes.