LONDON — Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said that families grieving for their loved ones in Gaza should not be forgotten, as he issued an emotional Christmas message.
Salah posted a black-and-white picture of a Christmas tree on his social media pages, saying he was approaching Christmas with a heavy heart amid the fighting in Gaza, which has been under intense bombardment by Israel since Hamas launched a cross-border rampage on Oct. 7.
The Egypt international posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate.
The war has devastated large parts of Gaza, killed more than 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory’s 2.3 million people.
“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,” Salah said.
“Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas,” Salah wrote to his more than 63 million followers on Instagram and almost 19 million on X.
Egyptian Red Crescent officials said in October that Salah had made a “significant donation” to help the people of Gaza.
The 31-year-old is one of the leading scorers in the English Premier League this season.
