Al-Azhar, Egyptian churches to form joint committee in the face of Israeli aggression

CAIRO – 3 January 2024: Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb and Pope Tawadros II, the Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, have agreed on establishing a joint committee that acts in one voice against the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

El-Tayyeb visited the pope on Wednesday to extend his greetings to the Christian people on Christmas, wishing Egyptian people a happy new year and confirming the cohesion between the Muslim and Christian people in Egypt.

During the meeting, Egypt’s top religious leaders welcomed the planned establishment of the committee, which will bring together representatives from Al-Azhar and the Egyptian churches.

The committee will be in charge of generating a unified Egyptian voice rejecting the Israeli crimes in Gaza and defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, El-Tayyeb reiterated condemnation of the Israeli assaults in Gaza, stressing that the events unfolding in Gaza represent “the annihilation of innocent citizens” by an army equipped with highly destructive weapons.

“It is a clear act of terrorism, murder, hatred, genocide, and ethnic cleansing … amid deeply shameful failure by the int’l community to respond,” El-Tayyeb stated.

For his part, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria noted that the cruelty inflicted upon the Palestinians “surpasses even the brutality witnessed in the animal kingdom.”

“It is a mercilessness that lacks all traces of compassion and humanity, demonstrating a deliberate and persistent commitment to committing the most atrocious crimes against innocent individuals,” he added.

The Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 88 days have killed 22,313 people and injured 57,296 individuals, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Most of the victims are women and children.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli forces committed 10 massacres against Palestinian families in the strip, killing 128 people and injuring 261, added the ministry.