CAIRO: Sport and politics mixed Saturday during a football match where two of Egypt s top teams and their fans demonstrated their opposition to the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

At a league match in Ismailiya, about 120 km east of the capital, players from Cairo s Al Ahly and the home team, Ismaili, walked onto the field wearing white shirts with the words Gaza is in our hearts spelled in red letters.

The packed crowd of about 20,000 chanted, We sacrifice our soul and our blood to you, Palestine.

Fans and players also observed a moment of silence before the game to honor the Palestinians killed in Gaza since the 8-day offensive began.

Crowd violence marred the dying minutes of the game, with home fans throwing bottles and other objects at the visitors bench and later on Al Ahly players as they headed to the tunnel after the final whistle. Police forcibly ejected the Ismaili fans, but there were no reports of injuries or arrests. The two clubs have been locked in a fierce rivalry in recent years. -AP