'Humanity must prevail': Mohamed Salah calls for immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza

Egyptian footballer releases video plea in which he calls for the 'massacres to stop'

Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah has called for the "massacres" to stop and said humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza immediately amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

The Gaza health ministry said at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza since October 7, the day Hamas stormed into Israeli towns, killing 1,400 people and taking hundreds of hostages.

Salah, arguably the most prominent athlete in the Arab world, was initially criticised in his native Egypt for not publicly expressing his support for the Palestinian people or to offer his condolences to the families of victims of the Israeli onslaught.

Earlier this week, it was revealed the Egypt national team football captain had made a "significant" donation to the Egyptian Red Crescent to help the people of Gaza.

And on Wednesday evening, Salah released a video on social media calling for an end to the violence and for the arrival of aid into Gaza.

"It's not always easy to speak in times like this. There has been too much violence and too much heartbreaking brutality," the 31-year-old forward said. "The escalations in recent weeks have been unbearable to witness. All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop, families are being torn apart."

The strike on the Al Ahli Arab Hospital on Tuesday evening, which killed 471 people and wounded more than 314, sparked further outrage and led to angry protests across the globe. Israel has denied launching the airstrike that struck the hospital, although that denial has been met with protests around the region and elsewhere.

According to the United Nations, more than one million Palestinians have been displaced since the start of the war and with food, water, and medical supplies running low, conditions are desperate in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has agreed to open the Rafah border crossing to allow about 20 lorries carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"Sisi deserves some real credit because he was accommodating," Mr Biden told reporters.

"What is clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed in immediately," Salah said. "The people there are in terrible conditions. The scenes at the hospital last night were horrifying.

"The people of Gaza need food, water, and medical supplies urgently. I'm calling on the world leaders to come together to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls. Humanity must prevail."