It has been a weighty week in world news given the ongoing conflict and resultant humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza, a highly polarizing situation and one that athletes in European football at least have largely avoided making comment on.
With Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah probably the world’s most recognizable Muslim athlete, though, people certainly have been curious as to whether the forward would weigh in on the situation. As is perhaps to be expected given the heated nature of situation, no formal statement has been made by Salah to this point, something for which he has come in for criticism from some Muslim communities for.
However, reports indicate that while he has not made comment, Salah has made a significant but undisclosed financial contribution to help Palestinian civilians stuck in the horrific situation. According to the report, a member of the Egyptian Red Crescent – the region’s equivalent of the Red Cross – confirmed that Salah made a donation through his agent, Ramy Abbas, for use towards medical and food supplies.
It is a much needed contribution for a people that have been under siege for more than a week now, with water and electricity cut off and rockets felling entire neighborhoods in the narrow strip of land home to 2.2 million Palestinians with the population density of London, and where about half of those people are under the age of 18. The last elections in Gaza were held in 2006, 17 years ago.
Humanitarian aid is currently blocked from entering Gaza – as its residents are blocked from escaping – at the Israeli and Egyptian borders, limiting the ability of aid organizations to deliver much needed relief following a horrific 10 days under siege for its residents.
