Haim Gozali, a 50-year-old MMA fighter who gained fame during his time with the Bellator MMA organization, has recently made headlines due to his views on the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict. In light of this, American hip-hop icon Kanye West, aka Ye, has found himself the target of Gozali’s recent attention. West has made several anti-Semitic statements since 2022, for which he has been widely criticized. The rapper has since apologized for his remarks.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militant groups launched a surprise invasion against Israel, leading to a military operation known as ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ or ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’ executed by the Hamas organization. They launched over 2,000 rockets at Israel, targeting both civilian areas and military establishments. The attackers included members from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas, who killed over 1,200 people in Israel and allegedly took hundreds of hostages on their way back to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducting multiple airstrikes in Gaza and deploying ground forces to combat Palestinian militants.
IDF veteran Haim Gozali has been very vocal in his support of Israel, and as reported by 102.5 The Block, recently tweeted an image of an IDF missile with Kanye West’s name on it. Gozali took aim at West because of the rapper’s controversial remarks against Jewish people and Israel. He made his animosity clear in a statement attached to the tweet, stating, ‘@kanyewest you don’t like us Jewish. So we don’t like you too !!!’
Amid the ongoing conflict, Haim Gozali has received criticism and had his main X account suspended allegedly due to anti-Islamic posts. These controversial posts include images of IDF missiles with the names of Muslim UFC fighters, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, and Khamzat Chimaev, all of whom have expressed their support for Palestine in the conflict. Critics argue that Gozali’s actions are inciting violence, while his supporters claim that he is defending his nation and the targeted individuals instead of making statements against their religion as a whole.
