In a Wednesday letter addressed to 26 leading religious figures across the Muslim world and the Vatican, Ayatollah Alireza A’rafi condemned Israeli “war crimes” in Gaza and said the humanitarian crisis there was a test of conscience for the international community.

“I offer this letter with a heart heavy from the Zionists' war crimes and a soul filled with Islamic brotherhood,” he wrote.

Ayatollah A’rafi urged Islamic leaders to speak out against the systematic oppression in Gaza. “The ongoing oppression in Gaza is not just a political crisis — it is also a test of the sincerity behind proclaimed unity and the integrity of awakened consciences,” he wrote.

“In the midst of fire and hunger, the eyes of our brothers and sisters in Gaza are turned to the Islamic Ummah,” A’rafi added. “The hunger of a Muslim child not only brings tears but leaves no excuse before God.”

Among the recipients of the letter were Pope Leo XIV, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, senior Saudi cleric Salih bin Abdullah al-Humaid, who is the Imam of Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque of Mecca), and Sheikh Ali al-Qaradaghi of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS). Religious scholars from Pakistan, Indonesia, and India were also addressed.