Afghan Taliban leader calls on Muslim countries to mobilize resources in support of Palestinians

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - The Afghan Taliban's supreme leader on Saturday called on Muslim countries to mobilize their resources in support of the Palestinian people.

"We stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza against Israeli aggression and occupation. It is incumbent upon the Islamic Ummah to address the plight of the oppressed Palestinians and to collectively condemn any form of injustice or aggression perpetrated by Israeli invaders," Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada said in his annual message on the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.

"We must mobilize our resources and support Palestine in every possible way to alleviate their suffering and work towards a just resolution of the conflict," he added.

Akhundzada criticized the Western countries' role on the issue and said the international community often falls short of effectively addressing the injustices faced by the people of Palestine.

"Despite claims of upholding human rights, there is a lack of meaningful action to curb the ongoing oppression and to hold perpetrators of these injustices accountable. This is indeed a source of profound sorrow, and it underscores the urgent need for all responsible parties to fulfill their obligations in addressing this grievous situation," he added.

Flouting an International Court of Justice provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 76,000 injured over the last six months, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.