Israel’s defence minister has publicly condemned Barcelona’s teenage football sensation Lamine Yamal for waving a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title, labelling the act as an incitement to hatred.

Minister Israel Katz took to X on Thursday to voice his disapproval, stating: “Lamine Yamal chose to incite hate against Israel while our soldiers combat the terrorist organization Hamas, an organization that massacred, raped and burned Jewish children, women and the elderly on Oct. 7, (2023).”

The 18-year-old Yamal was seen waving a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus as Barcelona’s team paraded through the city on Monday.

The victory parade, celebrating the league title clinched the previous day, attracted an estimated 750,000 people, according to local authorities. Yamal, who is Muslim, subsequently shared images of himself holding the flag on his Instagram account.

The incident unfolds against a backdrop of significant criticism from Spain’s government and a large segment of its population regarding Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which have resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties following the 2023 Hamas attack.

Globally, there has been a growing backlash against Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with protests extending into the realms of sport and culture, including football, cycling, and basketball.

Last year’s Spanish Vuelta, for instance, experienced repeated disruptions due to protests against the participation of an Israeli-backed cycling team. Spain is also among five nations boycotting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest of Israel’s inclusion.

Yamal is expected to be a key player for Spain at this summer’s World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

He played a leading role in Spain winning Euro 2024, when they beat England in the final in Berlin.

Spain are due to get their World Cup campaign underway against Cape Verde on 15 June.

They will then face Saudi Arabia on 21 June before concluding their group stage fixtures by playing Uruguay on 27 June.

Despite still being two months shy of his 19th birthday, Yamal has already earned 25 caps for his country, scoring six international goals.