Date: 19/12/2025
They agreed to hold an international symposium before Ramadan to support UNRWA and Palestinian refugees.
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A high-level Palestinian delegation briefed the Secretary-General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Qutb Mustafa Sanu, on the latest political and humanitarian developments in the Gaza Strip, as well as the dangerous escalation of Israeli occupation policies in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. They discussed the imposition of a systematic apartheid regime aimed at displacing the Palestinian people through daily raids on cities and villages, the continued destruction of refugee camps, arrests, and settler violence.
They also discussed the crimes committed by settlers. The delegation included: Ahmed Abu Holi, Head of the Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization; Omar Awadallah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for Political Affairs; Hadi Shibli, Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Ihab Al-Qishawi, Consul General of the State of Palestine in Jeddah; and Naseem Al-Za’anin, Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Abu Holi conveyed the greetings of the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, to the Secretary-General of the Assembly, and his appreciation for his efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause and his steadfast positions in support of the rights of our people and their just cause.
He reviewed the policies aimed at undermining and ultimately ending the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), urging the Assembly to take practical measures to support the agency and to issue a fatwa permitting Muslims to direct their zakat (obligatory alms) to it. This would contribute to supporting UNRWA and ensuring the continuation of its humanitarian work in assisting the more than 6.5 million Palestinian refugees.
For his part, Qutb affirmed the Assembly's continued support for the Palestinian cause and its readiness to work on issuing a fatwa permitting the allocation of zakat funds to UNRWA.
He emphasized that UNRWA is a UN agency specializing in providing aid and assistance to Palestinian refugees, noting that the Assembly, in coordination and cooperation with the State of Palestine, will hold an international symposium on this topic before the holy month of Ramadan.
