Israeli athletes receive threats in Paris as tensions simmer over Gaza

Israels Olympic team said some athletes have received threats as they compete at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 amid larger tensions over Palestinian deaths during the war in Gaza and the threat of a wider regional conflict in the Middle EastYael Arad president of the Israeli National Olympic Committee told The Associated Press on Tuesday that team members had received centralized threats meant to generate ldquopsychological terrorrdquo in athletes without giving further detailsLast week Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into emailed death threats to Israeli athletes and the national cybercrime agency is looking into the leak of some Israeli athletes personal data online which has since been taken down Prosecutors also launched an inquiry into inciting racial hated after Israeli athletes received discriminatory gestures during an IsraelParaguay matchTom Reuveny a 24yearold Israeli athlete who won a gold in wind surfing over the weekend was among those who said hes received threats Politics ldquoshould be put asiderdquo during the Games he told AP during a memorial Tuesday for 11 Israeli athletes killed during the 1972 Olympics in Munich GermanyldquoI dont think any politics should be involved in sport especially in the Olympic Gamesrdquo Reuveny said Unfortunately there is a lot of politics involved mdash not in the Games mdash of the people who dont want us to compete and dont want us to be here Ive gotten quite a few messages and threatsrdquo While Israel has called for the Olympics to remain a neutral space the Palestinian delegation has used the Games as a way to generate conversation about the daytoday struggles of those in Gaza The IsraelHamas war has claimed more than 39000 Palestinian livesldquoThe thing that really hurts me is that people are looking at Palestinians as just numbers now The number of people that died The number of people displaced Palestinian American Olympic swimmer Valerie Tarazi told the AP on SundayldquoAs athletes were here just as everyone else We want to compete As people we have lives We want to live in our homes just like everyone else in the world she addedAlso ReadDemoralised India need to regroup quickly to win consecutive Olympics bronze medalsAs global leaders have raised alarm over deaths in Gaza and called for Hamas and Israel to agree to a ceasefire Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would accept nothing less than a ldquototal victoryrdquo against HamasThe world is coming together in Paris at a moment of global political upheaval multiple wars historic migration and a deepening climate crisis all issues that have risen to the forefront of conversation in the OlympicsTensions across the Middle East are spiking following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas top political leader in Iran in suspected Israeli strikes Both groups are backed by IranPalestines Olympic team has demanded that the International Olympic Committee ban Israel from competing in the Olympics alleging the country has violated the Olympic charter Last week the Palestinian delegation said it had not received a response from the IOC and that it planned to take its plea to higher sports courtsIsraels team has been met by jeers in stadiums during the countrys national anthem and athletes have arrived to events under a heavy police escort including riot police vansldquoIts not easy to be an Israeli athlete in the international arena these daysrdquo said Arad head of Israels Olympic committee The Olympics is ldquoa bridge between people between countries and religions And we are here to competerdquoWith agency inputs