Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Palestine leader thanks Malaysian aid

Hamas senior political leader Ismail Haniyeh recently praised Malaysian delegations that had made trips to Gaza in order to provide medical and utility relief.

Haniyeh thanked the delegation and also Malaysians who have donated without any prejudice to help the beleaguered state’s plight.

Two different delegations had left Malaysia for the Gaza strip during this Ramadan month, with the first of them making a safe return on August 20.

The delegation of 44 people was dubbed ‘Ramadan March for Freedom’, and was headed by PKR Central Committee representative Ustaz Badrulamin, in co-organization with Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (MAPPIM).

The second delegation of 67 people, sponsored by the Putera 1Malaysia club, arrived in Gaza on August 12, where they had also met Haniyeh, who is one of the two disputed Prime Ministers for Palestine.

While the Freedom March delegation went to deliver donations offered to Gaza by Malaysians and also to survey the aid of further developments, the Putera 1 Malaysia delegation, which consisted of 39 doctors, concentrated on providing medical relief.

MAPPIM chairman Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said that based on the observations by the delegation, few suggestions will be dished out to the Malaysian government to help with the rebuilding process in Gaza, among them being a hospital, a university and a mosque.

The two delegations managed to make it safely to the troubled state after Egypt opened its Rafah border in the wake of Israel’s recent attacks on boats transporting aids to Gaza.