Gaza has faced attacks from the Israeli army since 7 October, with a total siege imposed on the strip recently, resulting in the deprivation of more than 1 million people of electricity, food, and fuel.
Egypt’s national team skipper and Liverpool star winger Mohamed Salah was the latest to show his solidarity with the Palestinians after the Executive Director of the Egyptian Red Crescent, Rami El-Nazer, disclosed on Sunday that the Reds star made a significant donation to provide aid to the people of Palestine in Gaza.
Before this announcement, Salah was heavily criticized on social media for not publicly supporting the Palestinian people during their current crisis since several European-based Egyptian players, including Mohamed Elneny, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ahmed Hassan Kouka, and Sam Morsy, have also expressed support for the Palestinians in recent days.
Sam Morsy
Ipswich Town Egyptian midfielder Sam Morsy was the first to show his solidarity with the Palestinians after reposting a photo via X last Monday saying: “Never be silent.. Free Palestine”.
Mohamed Elneny
Arsenal veteran midfielder Mohamed Elneny came second after changing his Instagram profile photo to a photo of the Palestinian flag and the Al-Aqsa mosque.
British reports said the Egyptian international came under fire since posting the photo. He was even warned against an expected attack from the club's Jewish fans.
Trezeguet
A day later, Egyptian international winger Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan, who currently plays for Turkish club Trabzonspor, posted a photo via Instagram of a child carrying the Palestinian flag and changed his profile photo for the Dome of the Rock located at Al-Aqsa mosque.
Hegazi
Egypt’s and Ittihad Jeddah's veteran defender Ahmed Hegazi expressed support by changing his profile picture to a photo of a child carrying the Palestinian flag saying “Free Palestine”.
Mostafa Mohamed
Also on Thursday, Egyptian forward Mostafa Mohamed, who plays for French club Nantes, changed his Instagram profile picture to a photo of the Palestinian flag and the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Kouka
Another support came from international striker Ahmed 'Kouka' Hassan, who plays for Turkish club Pendikspor, as he posted on Saturday via X some photos of the war victims in Gaza to clarify the situation to his foreign friends and followers.
Kouka said Israel took Palestine’s land, killed thousands of people, and destroyed everything. He also criticized Western media for calling Palestinians terrorists as they are just trying to fight back with the little weapons they have.
“The Western media said they beheaded 40 babies, but no pics or videos proved that, so it’s another false story. I’m against anyone who’s killing civilians or innocent people! But the real terrorists here are the ones who are bombing 2 million people, 40 percent of whom are children, cutting water, electricity, and fuel, using internationally prohibited gases, and saying they are fighting human animals!,” the Pharaohs' striker added.
Domestic Support also on
At the domestic level, some prominent Egyptian football stars like Ahly duo Mahmoud Kahraba and midfielder Mohamed Magdy "Afsha" alongside Zamalek skipper Mahmoud Shikabala also expressed their rejection of the war in Gaza.
The international star winger Kahraba joined the supporters list on Sunday when he posted a photo of the Palestinian flag. He stressed that Israel occupies the land of Palestine and that we must support the people there.
Ahly star midfielder Afsha appeared also on Saturday via Instagram with a photo of him holding the Palestinian flag with the “Free Palestine” slogan.
Afsha said the Palestinian citizen is the real hero, not a famous football star, a singer or an actor. He hoped to celebrate the Palestinian victory soon.
Zamalek star and skipper Mahmoud Shikabala also posted a story via Instagram on Saturday to show solidarity.
Pyramids FC goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy and Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir also posted photos supporting Palestine via Instagram.
French football star Karim Benzema, who plays for Saudi side Ittihad Jeddah, was among the famous football stars who showed their support worldwide.
"All our prayers are with the residents of Gaza who once again are victims of these unjust bombings that spare neither women nor children," the Al-Ittihad player wrote via “X” on Sunday.
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