Published : 15 May 2026, 02:42 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:44 PM
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has criticised Lamine Yamal after the Barcelona winger waved a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the club’s Spanish league title win, Al Jazeera reports.
On Monday, the 18-year-old Barcelona star waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus during the club’s victory parade through the streets of Barcelona.
In a post on X on Thursday, Katz accused Yamal of “inciting hate against Israel”.
“Lamine Yamal chose to incite hate against Israel while our soldiers combat the terrorist organisation Hamas, an organisation that massacred, raped and burned Jewish children, women and the elderly on the 7th of October [2023],” it read.
Yamal, who is Muslim, later shared photographs of himself holding the Palestinian flag on Instagram.
The Qatar broadcaster said Spain’s government and much of the country’s population have remained sharply critical of Israel’s genocide in Gaza -- launched after the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel -- which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians.
According to the outlet, a global backlash against Israel’s military campaign has spread across international sport and culture, with protests reported at football, cycling and basketball events.
Last year’s Spanish Vuelta cycling race was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators protesting the participation of an Israeli-backed team.
The diplomatic friction has already spilled into other arenas, with Spain being one of five nations boycotting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation.
Yamal is set to play for Spain national football team at the World Cup in North America in June and July.
