Ayatollah Sistani Urges Arab and Muslim Nations to Act as Gaza Faces Man-Made Famine

By Staff, Agencies

Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani has issued a powerful appeal to the Arab and Muslim world, urging immediate and meaningful action to confront the worsening famine in Gaza, which he described as a deliberate and devastating tragedy inflicted on the Palestinian people.

In a statement released Friday evening, the senior Shia cleric condemned the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after nearly two years of unrelenting war. “Hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded, and countless cities and homes destroyed,” Sistani said. “The oppressed Palestinians in Gaza are now enduring horrific conditions.”

He warned that the famine is spreading rapidly across the besieged enclave, sparing no part of the population. Ayatollah Sistani placed blame squarely on the “Israeli” occupation, saying that only more brutality can be expected from a regime intent on uprooting the Palestinian people.

“Nothing is expected from the occupying forces except further monstrous violence,” he stated. “But the world — especially Arab and Muslim nations — must not remain passive in the face of this massive humanitarian catastrophe.”

Sistani called on governments to escalate efforts to end the crisis, urging them to pressure “Israel” and its backers, especially the US, to allow the flow of food, medicine, and basic necessities to the civilian population of Gaza without delay.

His warning comes amid a wave of alarm from aid agencies and UN-backed data showing that nearly half a million Palestinians are now facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Over 100 Palestinians — mostly children — have died of starvation in recent weeks, while hospitals struggle to care for thousands of severely malnourished patients.

“Doctors Without Borders” and other humanitarian organizations have described the crisis as a man-made famine, blaming it on deliberate “Israeli” policies of blockade and obstruction. Aid convoys attempting to reach northern and central Gaza continue to be blocked or attacked by “Israeli” forces.

Ayatollah Sistani’s statement is among the most forceful calls yet from the Muslim world’s religious leadership, as Gaza descends deeper into humanitarian collapse under siege.