KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Malaysia has channelled RM45 million in donations and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza since Israel’s attack on the enclave on October 7, 2023, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.
He said the donations were channelled through Akaun Amanah Kemanusiaan Rakyat Palestin with the cooperation of various parties including non-governmental organisations involved in Ops Ihsan, agencies under the United Nations, and the Malaysian Embassy in Amman, Jordan.
He said more than 5,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Malaysia has been sent to Gaza through Rafah border since October 2023, which has benefited millions of Palestinians.
“The situation is now getting more challenging after the Rafah border gate was closed on May 7, 2024, and now the only aid route is the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan.
“For that reason, we are strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and Jordan and we have been invited and agreed to participate in the aid mission through this bridge, in cooperation with the Jordanian government,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad was replying to a question by Mordi Bimol (PH-Mas Gading) on Malaysia’s forms of humanitarian aid extended and funds allocated for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza since the Israeli attack on October 7, 2023.
Besides aid for Palestinians in Gaza, he said Malaysia also donated US$1 million to two organisations in Jordan — the King Hussein Cancer Center and the Jordan Hashemite Welfare Organisation.
He said Palestinian students continuing their studies in Malaysia also receive assistance through the Higher Education Ministry, including study financing and living allowances.
Mohamad said Malaysia will continue to be vocal in the fight for the formation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and with Palestine a full member of the UN.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had reiterated Malaysia’s firm stance in supporting Palestinians’ struggle at the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday.
— Bernama
