Al-Azhar urges urgent aid to break Gaza blockade and shelter displaced

Al-Azhar Al-Sharif called on Sunday for urgent action to break the blockade of Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The institution, which describes itself as the world's largest Islamic religious academic institution, directed its appeal at relief agencies, international organizations, Arab and Islamic countries and people around the world, Al-Azhar said in a statement.

It called for emergency corridors to be opened immediately so that weather-resistant tents, winter clothing, heating equipment, food and medicine could reach Gaza without obstruction.

The statement expressed deep sorrow over the worsening humanitarian catastrophe facing Gaza's people, particularly families displaced in camps and shelters.

Heavy rain and severe winter weather have flooded many dilapidated tents, leaving children, women, older people and the sick stranded in freezing conditions without adequate shelter, heating or fuel, the statement said.

Al-Azhar said leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians, including infants, exposed to freezing temperatures and flooded tents while denying them basic necessities demands urgent international intervention.

The institution called for a revival of the global human conscience and urged governments, institutions and individuals to take responsibility for the suffering of Gaza's residents.

It warned that these scenes must not be treated as passing news stories without effective action, and it demanded immediate support to protect people's dignity and right to life.

The war in Gaza that began in October 2023 has left much of the territory's housing and infrastructure damaged, and aid groups have repeatedly raised concerns about restrictions on getting supplies into the enclave.

Al-Azhar, founded more than 1,000 years ago in Cairo, is one of the oldest and most influential centers of Sunni Islamic learning.