Egypt Joins Humanitarian Effort as Malaysian NGOs Send $1.5 Million Aid to Palestinians in Gaza

In a remarkable display of solidarity, Egypt with Malaysian organizations are gearing up to dispatch three trailers laden with medical supplies, food, and drinks worth US$1.5 million (RM7.2 million) to Palestinians in Gaza. The aid, partly contributed by generous Malaysians, is set to depart for the Egypt-Palestine border, destined for Gaza, no later than Monday.

These three 12-meter-long trailers, packed with essential humanitarian items, will commence their journey from Cairo to the city of Al-Arish, located just 45 kilometers from the Rafah crossing that separates Egypt and Gaza. The meticulous process of packing emergency aid items into boxes and loading them onto trucks began yesterday, facilitated by dedicated volunteers from Muslim Care Malaysia (MCM) who have been in Cairo for the past ten days.

MCM Deputy President, Mohd Johari Ismail, revealed that over RM500,000 was spent on procuring the aid items out of the total RM1.5 million allocated for Palestinian emergency aid. The majority of donations were directed to Palestinian MCM in Gaza, under the leadership of local resident Ahmad Abu Ayesh.

The aid effort was a collaborative endeavor, with MCM and Muslim Care Egypt joining forces with the international non-governmental organization Miles of Smiles, headquartered in London. This coalition, which also includes NGOs from the United Kingdom, Jordan, Turkiye, and Sweden, coordinated the delivery of essential goods such as canned meat, fish, beans, wheat flour, cheese, tea powder, sweets, and bottled drinking water. Medical supplies, including wound dressings, wheelchairs, beds, wheeled stretchers, crutches, scanners, and electrocardiogram (ECG) machines, were also packed for heart treatment.

Al-Arish, now a central hub for collecting aid destined for Gaza, is set to host a field hospital established by the Egyptian government to treat thousands of wounded Palestinians. However, the entry of aid lorries into Gaza remains restricted, with only 74 trucks carrying food aid and medicines allowed through the Rafah crossing so far.

Despite challenges, MCM and its partners remain resolute in their mission. Although the team could not secure approval from Egyptian authorities to accompany the aid convoy to Al-Arish, Mohd Johari assured Malaysians that the delivery mission would be accomplished. He emphasized that another MCM team would continue the work after their return, focusing on reaching Al-Arish and potentially entering Gaza if granted permission.

MCM’s aid mission was conducted in collaboration with several parties, including the Muslim Consumers’ Association of Malaysia (PPIM), Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF), Pertubuhan Khidmat Umah (PKU), and One Nation. MCM’s participation in Op Ihsan, coordinated by Wisma Putra, involved a consortium of 45 Malaysian NGOs, contributing 50 tonnes of emergency aid worth RM7 million, scheduled to be flown to Al-Arish on November 3.