, Nov. 12 -- More than 70 athletes, including football stars Paul Pogba and Hakim Ziyech, have joined a growing call for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel over what they describe as grave human rights violations against Palestinians.

In a letter sent to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin on Tuesday, the group Athletes for Peace-supported by human rights organisations such as the Hind Rajab Foundation and the Gaza Tribunal-urged the governing body to cut ties with the Israel Football Association (IFA).

"No shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity," the letter stated. It was penned by the advoca...