KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will contact Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the next few days to discuss facilitating the delivery of Malaysia’s humanitarian aid to Gaza via land through the Rafah crossing.
He said the proposal was part of efforts to ensure the safe passage of the Malaysian contingent under the Sumud Nusantara mission, which is working with regional partners to deliver relief assistance to Palestinians affected by the ongoing devastation in Gaza.
“We express our appreciation to President el-Sisi, Qatar, Egypt and all countries that supported the peace initiative.”
“Now that there is calm, we hope access will be granted for our contingent.”
“I hope to communicate with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the next few days to suggest to him that, you know, allow our contingent to go via Egypt to Rafah and continue to assist,” he said.
Anwar said this during the ‘In Conversation with Prime Minister’ session held in conjunction with the International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFUTURE) 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (KLWTC) today.
Also present were the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir and his deputy, Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
Anwar was responding to a question from the audience on Malaysia’s efforts in humanitarian aid to Gaza and how young Malaysians can play their role in Gaza issues.
The prime minister also stressed that the flotilla movement, including the Global Sumud Flotilla, was not his personal initiative.
He reiterated that credit should go to the international and Malaysian activists who spearheaded the mission out of compassion and solidarity with the Palestinian people.
He said the government provides support and facilitation to the Malaysian contingent, the Sumud Nusantara, in recognition of the volunteers’ determination to uphold the universal values of justice, freedom and human dignity.
“The flotilla is not my initiative; I can’t claim credit.”
“Some young Malaysians wanted to take the lead, and I said, ‘Okay.’”
“We supported and facilitated them, and I happened to be the first national leader to officially endorse the mission,” he said.
On Oct 8, all 23 Malaysians who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission safely returned home.
Another nine participants from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Medleens to Gaza missions arrived yesterday.
Both humanitarian missions to Gaza were separately intercepted by Israeli forces. – Bernama
