Egypt pressured Al-Azhar to withdraw statement condemning “genocidal starvation” in Gaza, sources say

07/26/2025 / By Laura Harris

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi pressured Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam to retract a statement accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and criticizing arms-supplying nations.
The original Al-Azhar statement described Israel’s actions as “deliberate and lethal starvation” and held complicit states morally accountable.
The statement was deleted shortly after publication, with Al-Azhar later claiming it could harm ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Sources confirmed the retraction came under direct pressure from Egypt’s presidency, concerned about offending Western allies.
Scholar Ali al-Qaradaghi condemned the deletion as an attempt to silence moral and religious conscience amid a deepening famine in Gaza, where 115 people, including 80 children, have died of starvation since March.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt pressured the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, into retracting a scathing condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The statement, published briefly on July 22 by Al-Azhar, the world’s most prominent Sunni Islamic authority, accused Israel of committing a “fully fledged crime of genocide” through the deliberate starvation of Gaza’s civilian population. It also criticized countries supplying weapons to Israel, labeling them complicit in the unfolding crisis.

“Al-Azhar strongly affirms that the deliberate and lethal starvation imposed by this abhorrent occupation upon the peaceful people of Gaza, people desperately seeking mere crumbs of bread or a cup of water, while simultaneously targeting shelters for displaced persons and humanitarian aid distribution centers with live ammunition, constitutes a fully fledged crime of genocide,” the deleted statement read. “Moreover, anyone who supplies this entity with weapons or who emboldens it through complicit resolutions or hypocritical words is a partner in this act of genocide. They shall be held to account by the Just Judge, the Almighty Avenger, on the Day when neither wealth nor children shall be of benefit. Let those who support such actions remember well the timeless wisdom: ‘We were devoured the day the white bull was devoured.'”

However, Al-Azhar immediately removed the statement after a few hours of publication.

The next day, Al-Azhar released a follow-up explanation, saying it had withdrawn the statement “with courage and responsibility before God” after realizing it could negatively impact ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. (Related: Starvation could lead to MASS DEATHS in the Gaza Strip, resident warns.)

“Al-Azhar Al-Sharif took the initiative to withdraw its statement with all courage and responsibility before God when it realized that this statement might affect the ongoing negotiations regarding the establishment of a humanitarian truce in Gaza to save innocent people and so that this statement would not be used as a pretext to withdraw from the negotiations or compromise,” Al-Azhar wrote in their official statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

But two sources close to Al-Azhar and the presidency revealed that the decision to retract the original message was made after direct intervention from el-Sisi’s office. The sources said the presidency was particularly concerned about language implicating third-party states, including Egypt’s Western allies, in war crimes.

Scholar decries silencing of Al-Azhar statement as Gaza starvation crisis deepens

Since March 2, Israel’s siege on Gaza has blocked the entry of humanitarian supplies by the United Nations (UN) and partner organizations, pushing the enclave’s 2.1 million residents to the brink of famine.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 115 Palestinians, including 80 children, have died of starvation since March. On July 21 alone, 15 people died of malnutrition.

In turn, Ali al-Qaradaghi, the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, condemned the deletion of Al-Azhar’s statement as an unjustified and troubling act.

“Why are voices being silenced?” he posted on his official account on X. “The deletion of Al-Azhar’s statement, which cried out to consciences to save Gaza, is an unjustified act and a desperate attempt to suppress the voice of human and religious conscience in a time of silence and complicity.”

Visit Genocide.news for more stories related to this.

Watch this video that discusses how the famine in Gaza is forcing people to eat animal feed to survive.

This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.