The imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, has called for a doubling of humanitarian aid sent by countries to Ukraine since the start of Russian military operations in its territory.
Al-Tayeb tweeted, “What we are witnessing is the intimidation of safe Ukrainians from their homes in search of safety and security, is a real test of our humanity.”
“I call on the international community to double humanitarian aid to Ukraine and make more effort to stop the war, and I ask God to speed up this and return these innocent people to their homes safely,” added the imam, who posted his tweet in Arabic, English and Ukrainian.
The Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s tweet came as Russia continues to advance on Ukrainian lands and fierce fighting continues around the capital, Kyiv, after the Russian army resumed military operations in the strategic port city of Mariupol on Saturday.
As a result of the continuing fighting in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis has worsened, with the number of refugees outside the country reaching 1.37 million since the invasion began on February 24, according to the latest United Nations statistics.
After ten days of war, it has become impossible to independently verify the death toll. Kyiv has reported the deaths of at least 350 civilians and more than 9,000 Russian soldiers without mentioning its military losses. Moscow announced the deaths of 2,870 people on the Ukrainian side and 498 in ranks of its forces.
