Mohamed Salah, a forward for Liverpool, issued a statement on Wednesday in which he demanded an end to what he referred to as “massacres” in Gaza. He also stated that humanitarian aid must be quickly let into the beleaguered Palestinian enclave.
After receiving severe backlash in his home country of Egypt for remaining silence on the ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas for more than a week, Salah made his first comments on the conflict in the form of a video message that he posted to his various social media accounts. He made these remarks after coming under fire for remaining mute on the matter.
Since October 7, when members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke into Israeli communities, they have killed 1,400 people and taken hundreds of hostages, the Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 Palestinians have been injured as a result of Israeli air attacks on Gaza.
On Tuesday, Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian goods for Gaza came closer to the Rafah border crossing. However, it was unclear when or whether the trucks would be able to get into the enclave, as Egypt was attempting to acquire security guarantees from Israel after the border region was shelled four times.
The Israeli government stated on Wednesday that it will not prevent aid from entering Gaza from Egypt; but, Hamas will not be given access to the supplies that are allowed to enter Gaza.
“It is not always easy to speak in times like these, there has been too much violence and too much painful brutality… It is not always easy to speak in times like these. According to Salah, “all lives are sacred and must be protected at all costs.”
“There must be an end to the massacres; children are being separated from their parents. It is now quite evident that the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza must be authorised without delay. The individuals who live there are living in appalling conditions.
During the course of the previous week, a significant number of Egyptian soccer supporters have condemned Salah, stating that he ought to have advocated on behalf of Palestinians. A movement was initiated by some people online to unfollow him on the various social media platforms.
The attack on Tuesday, which took place at a hospital in Gaza and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, led to an intensification of criticism directed at the 31-year-old. Hamas and Israel each took turns pointing the finger at the other for the incident.
“The scenes that unfolded at the hospital late last night were just awful. “The people of Gaza have an immediate demand for food, water, and medical supplies,” Salah continued.
“I am making a plea to the leaders of the globe to band together in order to stop the slaughter of more innocent people. The triumph of humanity is essential.
This season, Mohamed Salah has played ten times for Liverpool across all competitions and has scored six goals for the club. Of those goals, five have come in the Premier League.