Maldives' mosques resume qunut nazila as Israel intensifies attack on Gaza

Mosques across Maldives have resumed reciting qunut nazila for the people of Palestine following Israel's intensification of attacks on Rafah.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, said via X, that the qunut nazila will be recited after Fajr (dawn) and Maqrib (dusk) prayers.

The minister in his post on X, analogized the Muslim Ummah as a functioning body, and said it was time for sincere prayers for the protection and safety of the Palestinian people.

Maldivian mosques nationwide began qunut nazila first on October 2023 following the first wave of attacks by Israel against Palestine. However, qunut recitations were halted since February 2024.

After it launched a full-scale attack on Palestine, Israel had claimed Rafah, at the Palestine-Egypt border was a safe location where it would not carry any offensive, which led to thousands of Gazan refugees, which included a large number of women and children, to seek shelter in tent camps.

Reports claim at least 1.4 million Gazan refugees were forced to flee to Rafah amid the attacks.

Despite its claims of Rafah being a safer location, Israel had closed the Rafah-Egypt border launching the most recent wave of attacks on the tent camps since May 06, which has claimed several lives already.

Israel has also rejected calls from international organizations, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) more recently in its ruling, for an immediate ceasefire and resumption of humanitarian aid to Palestine.

Besides rejecting international calls for a halt on its attacks, Israel denies it has resorted to acts of genocide or other war crimes as well.