The Turkish authorities announced today that they have banned a concert scheduled for French singer Enrico Massias in Istanbul, following calls for protest rallies against the artist due to the pro -Israeli positions.

The 86 -year -old artist, Algerian Jewish, has repeatedly defended Israel’s reaction to Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.

“I always sang about peace between Jews and Muslims. Always. I am the first Jew to join the Jews and Muslims, “he said in an interview with the French network of Ledend, which was aired in mid -August. “My problem is that I do not support the violence of terrorists. (…) And if there was violence on the Israeli side, it was because of Hamas, “he added, clarifying that he had” nothing against the Palestinians “.

The unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, caused the deaths of 1,219 people, mainly civilians, according to a countdown by the French News Agency (AFP) based on official data. Of the 251 people who had been abducted that day, 47 remain in the Gaza Strip but 25 of them have been declared dead by the Israeli army.

Since then, more than 63,500 people have been killed by Israeli military operations in the Palestinian enclave, according to Hamas controlled by Gaza Health.