Provision of Relief to Gaza Is a Humanitarian and Islamic Duty That Brooks No Delay or Inaction
While the world is preoccupied with wars here and elections there, the tragedy of the people of Gaza continues unabated, day after day – as a result of a genocidal war that has yet to come to an end there. That war has laid waste to everything in its path, destroying all infrastructure for some two million people – including homes, hospitals, and schools, as well as all the essentials for life, such as water, food, medicine, and electricity – leading to the most horrific humanitarian tragedy of the twenty-first century.
The tragedy of our people in Gaza unfolds anew each day, compounded by a suffocating blockade, torrential rains, the flooding of tents – if any exist at all – a decline in aid, and the inability of relief resources to meet even the most basic needs. In this vein, UNRWA data reveals the depth of the tragedy, noting that approximately 1.98 million people – 94% of Gaza’s population – are in urgent need of shelter assistance and basic supplies. Meanwhile, 58% of the population faces critical or catastrophic shelter needs, a situation that underscores just how exposed families are to the cold and rain of winter.
These statistics and scenes place the Arab and Islamic nation, as well as the international community and its institutions, before the responsibility of saving lives threatened by death, hunger, disease, and cold.
Therefore, we call upon Arab and Islamic governments – particularly the neighboring states and the mediators who guaranteed the Gaza agreement – to take urgent political and humanitarian action to open border crossings, ensure the flow of aid, facilitate the entry of temporary housing, heating supplies, fuel, water drainage equipment, and materials for repairing facilities, and secure medical treatment for the sick and the wounded.
The duty to aid those in distress, feed the hungry, and alleviate hardship is among the rights of Islamic brotherhood and a testament to faith – a responsibility that rests upon the entire Muslim community, both its peoples and its governments, and one that must never be abandoned.
Allah Almighty says in Surat Al Balad:﴾ Or feeding on a day of severe hunger. An orphan of near relationship. Or a needy person in misery.﴿ (Al Balad: 11-16). And what greater "severe hunger" (famine) could there be than the one that has befallen our people in Gaza?
Islam has condemned the withholding of assistance; as Allah Almighty says in Surat Al Fajr: ﴾ No! But you do not honor the orphan. And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor.﴿ (Al Fajr: 17-18). So, we must not abandon our brothers to hunger and cold, while we possess the means to help them and ward off some of their suffering.
In this regard, we call upon the nation’s scholars, charitable institutions, professional unions, and popular forces to step forward and hasten to the aid of the people of Gaza—by collecting donations, providing food, medicine, and clothing, and supporting those affected by the crisis.
We also call for the continuation of the peaceful popular movement and media and human rights pressure, to open the crossings and bring in aid, and to keep the suffering of the people of Gaza present to the decision makers; as the suffering and dangers are increasing day by day due to the siege and weak aid.
We pray to Allah Almighty to grant strength and solace to our people in Gaza, to have mercy upon their martyrs, to heal their sick, and to hasten relief for them. We also pledge to Allah that we will do everything in our power to support and provide relief to them. O Allah, grant them shelter and solace; O Allah Almighty, feed them, [saving them] from their hunger, and make them safe, [saving them] from their fear.
Allah Is the Greatest, and Praise Be to Allah,
Dr. Salah Abdel Haq
Acting Muslim Brotherhood General Guide
(Sunday, 28 Jumada al-Ula 1448 / 8 November 2026 AD)