Egypt’s Grand Mufti Dr. Nazir Ayyad issued a blistering statement Thursday condemning a group of European Muslim clerics who visited Israel this week and met with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

“I observed – with profound regret – that shameful visit conducted by a group who promoted themselves as religious figures; individuals who sold their consciences cheaply, falsely cloaking themselves in religious garb, only to stand submissively before the leaders of the Zionist entity in a disgraceful scene,” Ayyad said.

“They promoted a counterfeit peace, and a dialogue stained with the blood of innocents, speaking deceitfully about their coexistence and dialogue with those who know neither the philosophy of coexistence nor the language of dialogue.”

The delegation included 15 men from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition to meeting Herzog at his official residence on Monday, they also visited the Knesset and the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The visit drew sharp criticism from across the Muslim world.

In the Netherlands, Imam Youssef Msibih was suspended by his mosque after a video emerged showing him singing the Israeli national anthem and laughing alongside Herzog. “There is no place for the imam within the mosque,” the mosque’s board said in a statement, distancing itself from Msibih’s actions.

British national Noor Dahri, another member of the delegation, posted on X that his family has cut ties with him over the trip. The post has since been deleted.

“My wife is going for divorce and I am dead to my children,” Dahri wrote. “They said, they can’t live with a person who supports Israeli terrorists who genocide thousands [of] innocent Palestinians.”

The Grand Mufti’s statement came a day after Egypt’s al-Azhar University, widely regarded as the most prestigious Islamic institution in Sunni Islam, also condemned the visit.

The university “expresses its deep disapproval of those who described themselves as European imams visiting the Zionist entity. They represent neither Islam nor Muslims,” the statement read.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States push for a ceasefire in Gaza

The wave of denunciations comes as Egypt, Qatar and the United States continue urgent negotiations in Doha to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

According to the Trump administration, the proposed agreement would pause hostilities in Gaza for 60 days, allowing time for further talks over the release of roughly 50 Israeli hostages still held in the enclave and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.

After the 60 days are over, both sides will hopefully agree to continue negotiations aimed at ending the 21-month war.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a June 2 post on Truth Social that Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to the ceasefire.

However, Palestinian officials have said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling the negotiations, meeting with Trump this week in Washington D.C.

One official who spoke to the BBC said the Israelis sent a delegation with no real diplomatic power.

Despite the claim, Netanyahu’s office affirms that a deal is still in reach.