Mainz 05, a Bundesliga club, have terminated the contract of Dutch footballer, Anwar El Ghazi, over a post in support of Palestine in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Peoples Gazette can report.

“FSV Mainz 05 terminated their contract with Anwar El Ghazi with immediate effect on Friday. The club has taken this action in response to comments and posts from the player on social media,” the club said.

El Ghazi, who joined the club less than two months ago, was initially suspended for two weeks for a now-deleted post about the war in the Middle East, which Mainz 05 described as “unacceptable”.

Mainz 05 also maintained that it does not want to be involved in the war, which began after Hamas launched a surprising terror attack on Israel last month and consequently resulted in a series of retaliatory attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces.

However, on Monday, the club announced the player had been reinstated back into the first team setup, claiming El Ghazi “regrets publishing the post and also was remorseful about its negative impact.”

The club added that the player “also stated that he does not question Israel’s right to exist”.

On Wednesday, the former Aston Villa player apparently disputed the club’s version of events in a social media post, stating “he does not have any remorse for his position” on the Palestine issue.

“I do not regret or have any remorse for my position,” the player wrote. “I do not distance myself from what I said and I stand, today and always until my last breath, for humanity and the oppressed.”

Hence, Mainz 05 made the decision to part ways with the player.

“The loss of my livelihood is nothing when compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza,” El Ghazi said in response to the decision to terminate his contract.