Gary Lineker has drawn fierce criticism from members of the Jewish community by appearing to call the October 7 terror attacks "the Hamas thing".
Speaking on Mehdi Hasan’s Mehdi Unfiltered programme, the Match of the Day presenter said: "I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime. The constant images of children losing their lives day in, day out.
"Now obviously we all know October 7 happened, and the Hamas thing, but the minute you raise your voice against what they’re now doing there, you get accused of being a supporter of Hamas."
Later, he said: "Whatever the cause, whatever started it. We all know that the history of this area of the world goes way before October 7. It's truly dreadful what's happening, and I cry on a regular basis when I see certain images on social media."
Slamming the former England striker for appearing to minimise the October 7 terror attacks, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said: "Gary Lineker is not a lone heroic voice: he is one of a mob offering up one-sided, tone-deaf interventions on social media.
"It has not escaped anyone’s notice that, despite his clear interest in the topic and social media habit, he has barely commented on the worst anti-Semitic atrocity since the Holocaust on Oct 7 – ‘the Hamas thing’, as he has now reluctantly referred to it in passing."
In the interview, the 63-year-old broadcaster added: "I’m not Muslim. I’m not Jewish. I’m not Israeli. I’m not Palestinian. So see, I think, purely from the outside as a neutral perspective.
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"There’s a lot of heavy lobbying on people to be quiet so I understand why most people refrain, but I’m getting on a bit now. I’m fairly secure, and I can’t be silent about what’s happening. It’s so utterly awful."
Editor of the Jewish Chronicle Jake Wallis Simons hit out at Mr Lineker on X. Sharing the clip in which the former Leicester forward said "the Hamas thing", Mr Wallis Simons wrote: "Lineker plays the old trick of claiming to have a “neutral perspective” before letting rip with the Hamas propaganda".
Express.co.uk has contacted a representative of Gary Lineker for comment.
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