Children jostle for free meals at a charity kitchen.
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 2,400 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Malaysians successfully entered Gaza early Monday (July 28) via the King Hussein Bridge crossing in Jordan.
The delivery marks the first cross-border success by a Malaysian non-governmental organisation (NGO) since Israel closed all entry points to Palestine on March 2.
Karisma Humanitarian Aid Mission (KHOM) director Nik Marina Hussin said the aid was sent through a 60-truck convoy operated by the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Central Kitchen.
The supplies, comprising food boxes and infant formula funded by public donations, were transported on four trucks that joined a 60-truck convoy coordinated by the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Central Kitchen, she added.
"The aid from KHOM had been stored in Jordan since February due to the closure but was immediately handed over to JAF once clearance was granted. We were informed the convoy has now reached Gaza, with KHOM's aid among the first to reach starving residents," she said in a statement on Tuesday (July 29).
Nik Marina said the breakthrough followed confirmation from Jordanian authorities on July 26 that KHOM's aid had been approved for entry, making it the first Malaysian non-governmental organisation (NGO) to deliver external aid to Gaza in almost six months.
She thanked Jordan's King Abdullah II for issuing the Royal Decree that enabled the mission, as well as JAF, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) and other agencies for prioritising KHOM's supplies in Jordan's sixth aid mission to Gaza.
"The political truce in Gaza announced by Israel remains fragile. Even before the war, Gaza needed no less than 1,000 truckloads of food a day, let alone now when starvation is being used as a weapon of war," she said.
She added that the delivery reflects the trust of Malaysians who have been contributing since the conflict erupted on Oct 7, 2023 and assured that KHOM would continue its relief work with public support.
Donations to KHOM can be made via its official website at www.khom.org.my.
