KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia remains committed to providing RM100mil in reconstruction aid to Gaza, but its implementation has been hampered by the deteriorating security situation in the territory.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the aid, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 2025, would be implemented when conditions on the ground were more conducive to ensure its effective delivery.
"The situation on the ground is not permitting (us to deliver the aid), because things there are not getting better. Instead, Israel is becoming more aggressive and is destroying Gaza,” he said, when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 (Budget 2027) at the policy stage for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 26).
Since 2023, a total of RM89mil has been channelled through the Humanitarian Trust Fund for the People of Palestine (AAKRP) to assist Palestinians in need, with more than RM12mil disbursed this year.
Meanwhile, Mohamad said that he would seek clarification from Myanmar over claims that about 300 of its citizens, who were repatriated from Malaysia, were still being detained by the military in Yangon.
He also said that he would instruct the chargé d'affaires in Myanmar to investigate the claim and obtain information on the condition of those reportedly detained.
In another development, Mohamad said that the government would continue to use diplomatic channels to seek the Nepalese authorities’ consideration of a request to declare the death of disabled climber Muhammad Hawari Hashim, who went missing while descending from the summit of Mount Everest three years ago.
He added that the effort also took into account a new ordinance, approved by Nepalese President Ramchandra Paudel on Oct 9, which allows victims of floods in Rasuwa district, including 54 Malaysians who remain unaccounted for, to be declared dead without having to wait for the 12-year period stipulated under the country's laws.
Mohamad said that the Foreign Ministry, through the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu, had raised the matter with Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via a diplomatic note on May 24, 2023, while a meeting with the Nepal Tourism Department was also held on July 7 this year, to seek consideration for the issuance of a death declaration for the climber.
He said that the ministry would continue discussions with the Nepalese authorities, and assist the family in obtaining legal services to apply for a court order on the matter.
On the Middle East conflict, he said that Malaysia continued to diversify its sources of supply, including crude oil and fertilisers, to reduce dependence on a single source, amid geopolitical tensions which had disrupted global supply chains.
Mohamad said the crisis had taught Malaysia the importance of having alternative sources to ensure that supplies of essential goods remained uninterrupted during conflicts.
Malaysia was also exploring opportunities to source phosphate from Algeria and Jordan, which could potentially work with local companies to produce the material for the fertiliser industry, he said. – Bernama
