Tumpang Lalu : Malaysian humanitarian mission team to try to enter Gaza tomorrow

CAIRO: The 1Malaysia Putera Club's (KP1M) humanitarian mission team to Gaza will try to enter the conflict-stricken strip, along with the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (MERCY Malaysia) and the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organization (Mapim) teams, Thursday.

KP1M president Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said this was the first time the mission was organised under the Malaysian flag, representing the people of Malaysia and involving three non-governmental organisations.

He said participants of the humanitarian mission would probably be divided into three groups to ensure that all aid and assistance would reach those in need.

Abdul Azeez said this to reporters after attending the closed-door meeting with Malaysian Ambassador to Palestine and Egypt Datuk Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Palestine Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Anwar Al-Agha, MERCY Malaysia vice-president Norazam Ab Samah and Mapim president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid Wednesday.

The mission involved 71 KP1M volunteers, including members of the media and doctors, six members of MERCY Malaysia and six members of Mapim.

Abdul Azeez said, right now, the KP1M was still waiting for approval from the Egyptian government to enter Gaza strip via Rafah.

"InsyaAllah (God willing), we will be able to enter the Gaza strip Thursday, because if possible, we are planning to organise tahlil prayer in the evening and on Friday, we can deploy our doctors to five hospitals, so that they can perform surgery and provide medical treatment there.

"We also wish to perform Friday prayers with the Palestinians there and stay until Sunday, depending on the ambassadors' advice," he said.

Abdul Azeez was also confident that the Egyptian government would play its role as a mediator to calm the Israeli and Hamas armies down, hence extending the ceasefire period, which would end on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Ku Jaafar expressed hope that the Egyptian government would give assurance of the participants' safety during their journey to Rafah, especially in North Sinai, which is about 45km from Rafah and under military control.

"In that area, curfew order is still in force because of certain militant issues. We will have to go through many checkpoints throughout the journey," he said. - Bernama