Moroccan footballer Hakim Ziyech condemned Israeli soldiers' mistreatment of Palestinian resistance fighters in a viral video, expressing his outrage on Instagram. Ziyech later deleted his post in which he criticized Morocco's government. Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech has condemned the actions of Israeli soldiers after a video surfaced showing them throwing the bodies of Palestinian resistance fighters from rooftops in Jenin. The footage quickly went viral. «Let's make one thing be clear: F*** Israel and every other country who supports this kind of behavior», Ziyech wrote in an Instagram post on Friday, sharing a photo of Israeli soldiers mistreating the bodies of the fighters. In a follow-up post, the Galatasaray player, who is also the captain of the Atlas Lions, added, «My last post was also for the government of our own country Morocco who supports genocide, and all the other countries that are supporting that. Shame on you. Enough is enough». Known for his support of the Palestinian cause, Ziyech continued, «To all my brothers and sisters in Morocco and all over the world : Keep your voices as high as we can (I'm with y'all). Free free Palestin». However, by the following morning, Ziyech had deleted his second post, which had criticized the Moroccan government. The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Association (RMFA), Faouzi Lekjaa, is a member of the government, serving as minister in charge of the budget. Ziyech's outspoken stance in support of Palestine is rare in sports, where athletes typically refrain from commenting on political matters to avoid backlash or sanctions. Earlier this year, Bayern Munich had warned former player, Moroccan international Noussair Mazraoui, over his pro-Palestine post, issuing a statement in support of Israel. Similarly, German club Mainz terminated the contract of Moroccan-born player Anwar El Ghazi for expressing support for Palestine. It's worth noting that, despite Ziyech's deleted post, Morocco has officially condemned Israeli violations against Palestinians on multiple occasions and has criticized Israel's right-wing government. However, the country resumed diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv in December 2020, brokered by the United States.
