Israeli minister criticises football star Lamine Yamal for waving Palestinian flag

Yamal, who is Muslim, posted pictures of himself holding the flag on his Instagram account

Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag (AP)

Israel’s defence minister has criticised Barcelona’s teenage football star Lamine Yamal for waving a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title win, saying the act “incites hate”.

“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 Oct 7 (2023)”, Israel Katz wrote on X on Thursday.