Malaysia to dispatch 20 tonnes of aid to Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will dispatch 20 tonnes of aid to Palestine on Nov 2 after receiving approval from Egypt within 36 hours, says the Foreign Minister.

“We will start dispatching the collections (of aid) tomorrow. We received approval from Egypt within 36 hours compared to other countries, which may require five to six days,” said Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir during his ministerial reply on the Budget 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 1).

“They (Egypt) approved Malaysia to deliver 20 tonnes of aid comprising medicine supplies and food, especially for children and kids. We hope we can send the aid to the El Arish airport in Egypt,” he added.

He said more batches of aid would be sent at a later date.

The Rafah border crossing, which links Gaza and Egypt, has opened for the first time since Oct 7.

According to international media agencies, the wounded and foreign passport holders were seen crossing into Egypt.

Meanwhile, Zambry said that calls to boycott and sanctions as a show of protest must be seen in the proper context.

“We have to see in what context (the boycott) is done,” he said.

“If we do it alone and others don’t, it won’t work,” he added.