One of the Muslim world’s foremost Islamic institutions on Wednesday acknowledged that it had deleted a strongly worded call to action over the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, citing its potential impact on ceasefire negotiations.
The prestigious Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, located in Cairo, Egypt, said it “took the initiative to withdraw its statement with courage and responsibility before God when it realised that this statement could impact the ongoing negotiations regarding a humanitarian truce in Gaza to save innocent lives.”
“This was done to prevent this statement from being used as a pretext to back out of negotiations or compromise,” the statement, posted to X, said.Â
Egypt is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, and the government has often tried to tamp down frustrations within the country over its role in what critics describe as maintaining the siege on Gaza, given it shares the Rafah crossing with the enclave.
“Al-Azhar has prioritized the interests of preventing the daily bloodshed in Gaza, hoping that the negotiations will lead to an immediate halt to the bloodshed and provide the most basic necessities of life, of which the oppressed Palestinian people have been deprived,” the statement said.
