Egypt forces Al-Azhar to take down statement condemning Gaza 'genocidal starvation'

Egyptian authorities have pressured the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, to withdraw a statement condemning Israel’s siege and starvation of Gaza's population, which has caused outrage worldwide.

The statement was briefly published across major Egyptian media outlets, including platforms owned by United Media Services, which is believed to be closely linked to Egyptian intelligence, before being taken down.

Officials claimed it was "under revision and would be republished" but no revised version appeared.

The government reportedly told the Grand Imam that Egypt was pursuing a "sensitive diplomatic path" in ceasefire negotiations, and the statement’s language could "complicate Cairo’s mediation efforts".

Al-Azhar, a globally influential religious institution, has rarely issued statements this explicit in recent years, particularly since the war on Gaza began.

The text of the deleted statement obtained by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Imam appealed to "the conscience of free people around the world" to act urgently to save Gaza from "a murderous famine imposed with unprecedented brutality".

It described children "killed in cold blood, or left to die from hunger, thirst and untreated wounds as medical centres shut down under bombardment".

The statement slammed Israel’s actions in Gaza as "a fully-fledged genocide", condemning those supplying arms or offering political cover of being "partners in this extermination".

It warned that those complicit would face divine justice, invoking the Quranic verse: "The wrongdoers will come to know what end they will meet".

Al-Azhar also rejected any plan to forcibly displace Gaza’s population and condemned the "shameful international silence” over the suffering of civilians.

It called on "every Muslim to pray for the oppressed with the words of the Prophet: O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Mover of the Clouds, Defeater of the Confederates, defeat them and grant us victory over them".