By CNN
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Liverpool and Egypt star Mo Salah has called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza “immediately” and called on world leaders to help put an end to the fighting.
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 3,478 people have been killed and more than 1,250 injured by Israeli airstrikes since Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7, which left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel announced a “complete siege” of the enclave in response, but United States President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, had agreed to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza for humanitarian aid – the only one not controlled by Israel.
After Tuesday’s deadly blast tore through Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, Israel has laid out evidence that it says shows a misfire by militant group Islamic Jihad caused the blast, while Palestinian officials and several Arab leaders nevertheless accuse Israel of hitting the hospital amid its ongoing airstrikes in Gaza.
“It is not always easy to speak in times like this. There has been too much violence and too much heartbreak and brutality,” Salah said in a video posted to social media. “The escalations in the recent weeks is unbearable to witness.
“All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop. Families are being torn apart. What is clear now is humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions.
“The scenes at the hospital last night were horrifying. The people of Gaza need food, water and medical supplies urgently. I am calling on the world leaders to come together to prevent the further slaughter of innocent souls – humanity must prevail.”
On Monday, the Egyptian Red Crescent, a charity that provides medical services and humanitarian aid, confirmed that Salah had made a donation to help its relief efforts in Gaza.
“Thank you, Mohamed Salah, for his donation to support the people of the Gaza Strip,” the charity wrote on Facebook. “Thank you from the heart.”
Salah, one of world’s most prolific forwards, has won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup since signing with Liverpool in 2017.
Salah and Liverpool face Everton at home in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday.
