Gary Lineker ‘can’t keep quiet’ as he ‘often cries’ during Gaza scenes

Despite his impartiality row with the BBC last year, Gary Lineker said he “cannot stay silent” about Israeli attacks on Gaza, citing some scenes of destruction as “the worst thing I have view of my life.

The Match of the Day presenter, 63, was temporarily taken off air by his BBC employers over a row over impartiality a year ago when he tweeted about the Tories’ controversial policies in Rwanda on immigration, comparing the language the government used to launch it with Germany in the 1930s.

While many public figures have chosen to remain silent – ​​and as Eurovision 2024 builds a “ring of steel” around protesters, with Israel qualified for tonight’s final – Lineker has spoken out on the bombings Israelis on Gaza in an interview with Zeteo, the media organization founded. by the Anglo-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan.

Yesterday the former England footballer said of the current situation in Gaza: “It’s the worst thing I’ve seen in my life.

“I have no skin in this game. I am neither Muslim, nor Jewish, nor Israeli, nor Palestinian.

“So I think I only see it from the outside, from a neutral perspective. And I can’t think of anything worse I’ve seen in my life, the constant images of children losing their lives day after day.

He continued: “Obviously we all know that October 7 happened, but as soon as you raise your voice against what they are doing now, you are accused of being a supporter of Hamas and that sort of thing.

He added: “There’s a lot of intense lobbying for people to keep quiet, so I understand why most people stay quiet, but I’m getting through it a bit now, I’m pretty safe and I can’t not keep silent about what is happening there.

“I think it’s just so horrible and it already feels like it’s happening, getting to Rafa, where they sent everyone there.

“It is not anti-Semitic to say that what Israel is doing is wrong. I just don’t see how everyone doesn’t understand that now, whatever the cause, whatever the trigger, we all know that the history of this region, of the world, goes back well before October 7 .

“But it’s truly appalling what’s happening and I regularly cry when I see some of the images on social media.”

Lineker’s the impartiality of the BBC, because of their profile on the BBC”.

Develop

In January, the expert said he received death threats after retweeting and then deleting a social media post calling for Israel to be banned from international sporting events.

The message on

Following backlash after the tweet, including from a former BBC star who said Lineker’s fingers should be “cut off”, the expert confirmed he had “received threats” and said declared: “It’s not about me. I am not the victim here.

“Everyone I talk to, everyone I know says, ‘What? What’s going on?” But as soon as you open your mouth – well, not mine, but as soon as I tweet a little bit – it’s so toxic.

“Whether you lean one way or the other, the attack levels are extraordinary. How could it be controversial to want peace? I just don’t understand,” he told the Guardian.

The Eurovision Song Contest protests and Lineker’s recent interview come as the death toll on Palestinian soil surpasses 35,000 since Israel launched military operations in response to the October 7 Hamas massacre, which killed more than 1,000 people in Israel.

Civilians in Gaza celebrated the announcement of a potential ceasefire earlier this week, but soon after Israel advanced on Rafah – a key crossing into Egypt for Palestinians fleeing war and so that help reaches those who cannot reach it.

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