Liverpool’s Salah calls for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza،
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah called on Wednesday for an end to violence between Israel and Hamas, saying humanitarian aid must be immediately allowed into the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
Salah posted a video message on his social media accounts, making his first comments on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas after facing criticism in his native Egypt for remaining silent on the issue for more than a week.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed into Israeli cities, killing more than 1,400 people and taking hundreds of hostages.
US President Joe Biden visited Israel on an urgent mission to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from escalating into a wider regional conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said later Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from Biden.
“It’s not always easy to speak out in times like this, there has been too much violence and too much heartbreaking brutality… All lives are sacred and must be protected,” Salah said.
“The killings must stop; families are being torn apart. What is clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be authorized immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions.”
Many Egyptian football fans criticized Salah last week, saying he should have stood up for the Palestinians. Some have launched an online campaign to unfollow him on social media.
Criticism of the 31-year-old intensified when an explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians on Tuesday. Hamas and Israel traded responsibilities to determine who was responsible.
“The scenes at the hospital last night were horrific. The people of Gaza urgently need food, water and medical supplies,” Salah added.
“I call on world leaders to unite to prevent further massacres of innocent souls. Humanity must prevail.”
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.
