Gaza war: Mohamed Salah's Christmas message asks people to share pain of grieving families

On Christmas day, Liverpool's Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) on the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The former African Footballer of the Year said he shares the pain of grieving families at Christmas amid the destruction and added that such families, grieving for their loved ones in Gaza, should not be forgotten.

The Egypt captain's emotional post read, "Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate. With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas."

Salah's write-up posted on X at 5:21 PM IST included a black-and-white picture of a Christmas tree. The same message and image was also shared over his Instagram account.

Gaza remains under intense bombardment by Israel since Hamas militants launched a cross-border attack on October 7. Israel says Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took around 240 people hostage in their attack. Israel's ensuing bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 20,400 people and wounded at least 50,000, according to authorities in the Hamas-ruled strip.

Salah, 31, had faced some criticism in his native Egypt after staying silent on the issue for more than a week after the war started, with many fans comparing his stance to other Arab sports figures who have been more vocal about it. Egyptian Red Crescent officials said in October that Salah had made a "significant donation" to help the people of Gaza.

In his first comments on the conflict in October, less than two weeks after the war started, Salah called for an end to what he described as "massacres", appealing for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.