Iraq’s top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed grave concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling on Arab and Muslim countries to intervene and halt the ongoing suffering of Palestinians.
In a strongly-worded statement issued on Friday evening, the revered religious authority described the situation in the besieged enclave as “catastrophic”, citing mass casualties, widespread destruction and a deepening famine that has engulfed the population.
“After nearly two years of relentless killing and destruction, which have left hundreds of thousands of people killed and wounded, and resulted in the demolition of countless cities and residential buildings, the oppressed Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living under horrific conditions,” Ayatollah Sistani said.
He warned that famine in Gaza has reached alarming proportions and that “no segment of the population has been spared” from the effects of hunger and deprivation.
The cleric further condemned the Israeli military’s conduct in Gaza, saying, “Nothing is expected from Israeli occupation forces other than monstrous brutality in their attempts to uproot the Palestinian people.”
In his appeal, Ayatollah Sistani placed the responsibility of action squarely on the shoulders of the international community, and more specifically the Arab and Muslim world. “It is their moral and religious duty not to allow this major humanitarian tragedy to persist,” he said.
The statement comes amid growing international alarm over the dire conditions in Gaza, where the United Nations and aid agencies have repeatedly warned of imminent famine due to the ongoing blockade and military operations.
Ayatollah Sistani, widely respected across sectarian and national lines, has rarely commented on the conflict in such direct terms, highlighting the severity of the current crisis.
