Egypt’s Al-Azhar warns of Israeli intentions to undermine ceasefire agreement

Al-Azhar, the top Islamic Sunni institute in Egypt, has strongly condemned what it described as “brutal crimes” carried out by Israel in several areas of Lebanon, which killed dozens of people and injured hundreds of civilians.

In a statement, Al-Azhar said the attacks represent a “dangerous escalation” and a “flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian conventions and laws”. It added that targeting innocent civilians reflects a continued pattern of aggression and disregard for human and moral values.

The institution warned of what it called Israeli attempts to “ignite the region in order to undermine the current truce and ceasefire agreement”. It stressed that the absence of international and legal accountability “has encouraged the occupier to persist in its criminal behaviour and commit more crimes, to the point that it now poses a serious threat to the region’s security and stability.”

Al-Azhar called on the international community to take urgent action to halt these “crimes”, fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities to protect civilians, and safeguard Lebanon’s unity, stability and sovereignty.

Earlier, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb, welcomed the halt in the war on Iran, saying it would spare innocent civilians the suffering of conflict. He also called for an immediate end to Iranian attacks on Gulf countries.

El-Tayeb expressed appreciation for what he described as the restraint shown by leaders in the Gulf, as well as in Jordan and Iraq, in avoiding a wider conflict despite what he termed “unjustified aggression” against them.

He also praised Egyptian, Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani mediation efforts, saying that prioritising peace over war and showing restraint in the face of conflict represents the “true victory”, measured by the lives saved and the protection of human dignity.

He added that wars bring only more death, destruction and the erosion of moral values, leaving deep wounds in humanity.