Mesut Ozil shows his support for Palestine as the former Arsenal star includes their flag in post calling for a stop to the war with Israel

• Ozil posted a message of support for Palestine while calling for end to the war
• His message included a picture which was captioned ‘#FreePalestine’
• He previously announced his support for Palestine in their conflict with Israel

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil has shown his support for Palestine in a message on social media.

The retired German international is the latest prominent sports star to have shown support for Palestinians in the wake of the conflict in the region, following the attacks by terror group Hamas in Israel on Saturday. 

On Friday morning, Ozil posted on X, formerly Twitter, asking for an end to the war, which also showed his support for Palestine.

His message went along with a photo which was captioned ‘#FreePalestine’.

‘Praying for humanity. Praying for peace,’ the 34-year-old year wrote with two praying emojis and the Palestinian flag.

Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has shown his support for Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel

Ozil called for an end to the war insisting that innocent lives have been lost on both sides

His message included this photo of him wearing a ‘Free Palestine’ shirt in Turkish during his time with Fenerbahce, with a caption saying the same message in England at the bottom 

He added: ‘Innocent people and especially innocent kids are losing their lives in the war – on both sides. It’s so heartbreaking and sad.

‘PLEASE STOP THE WAR!!!’ 

Ozil previously announced his support for Palestine amid their conflict with Israel back in 2021, wearing a ‘Free Palestine’ t-shirt – written in Turkish – along with several Fenerbahce team-mates when he played in Turkey towards the end of his career. 

His former Arsenal team-mate Mohamed Elneny – who still plays for the Gunners – also showed his support earlier this week by changing his Instagram profile picture to that of the Palestinian flag. 

Egyptian international Elneny, 31, previously posted a message of support for Palestine back in 2021, tweeting: ‘My heart and my soul and my support for you Palestine,’ followed by a picture of the Palestine flag and a peace emoji.

Arsenal’s Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko restricted his Instagram account after being targeted by online social media trolls that he ‘stands with Israel’.

Former boxer Amir Khan meanwhile also showed his support for Palestine, claiming people are ‘scared’ to support them in their ongoing war with Israel.  

Khan took to social media platform X to say, in a lengthy post, that ‘Palestinian lives matter’ and that he has ‘never been scared to speak’ his mind.

Israel has killed more than 1,530 people in Gaza after the terrorist attacks by Hamas who killed more than 1,300 people in Israel 

‘My entire career, my aim was to become a world champion and use my fame and influence to make a positive change in the world,’ his post began.

‘I’ve never been scared to speak my mind and stand up for the down trodden. Recently when Ukraine was attacked by Russia, I personally flew to Poland to support the Ukrainian refugees who had been displaced by the effects of war.

‘So many people spoke up about these atrocities but as the world watches what is unfolding in Palestine, I see so many of my peers, friends and colleagues who are remaining silent. Why?

‘It’s become apparent that people are scared to show their support for Palestine and what’s worse is that it’s my own people who are talking down to me for supporting the innocent lives being lost.’

Current Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny changed his Instagram profile picture to that of the Palestinian flag 

Elneny’s profile change comes days after Oleksandr Zinchenko showed his support to Israel

He added: ‘Palestinian lives matter. The world will remember who spoke up and who didn’t. And God will remember who stayed silent while innocent Muslims blood was spilled.

Hamas terrorists launched rocket strikes on Israel and invaded parts of the country on Saturday, killing civilians and kidnapping others with swift retaliation later following.

Israel has killed more than 1,530 people in Gaza with airstrikes and cut off food, water and electricity since Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,300 in Israel.

Israel has also ordered more than one million people to evacuate northern Gaza within 24 hours ahead of a feared Israeli ground offensive aimed at eradicating Hamas.

The order this morning sent panic through civilians and aid workers already struggling under Israeli airstrikes and a blockade, while the United Nations called such an evacuation ‘impossible’ that would turn an tragedy into calamity.

Source: Read Full Article