Malaysian aid reaches Gaza after six-month blockade via Jordan

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian humanitarian mission has successfully delivered 2,400 tonnes of aid to Gaza through a Jordan-led convoy, marking the first cross-border delivery since Israel blocked all access to the territory on March 2.

Karisma Humanitarian Aid Mission (KHOM) director Nik Marina Datuk Hussein confirmed that the supplies, including food boxes and infant formula funded by public donations, were transported on four trucks as part of a 60-truck convoy coordinated by the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF).

The effort was supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Central Kitchen.

The convoy entered Gaza early yesterday through the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, becoming the sixth humanitarian delivery organised by Jordan in recent days.

“The aid from KHOM had been stored in Jordan since February due to the closure but was immediately handed over to JAF once clearance was granted.

“We were informed the convoy has now reached Gaza, with KHOM’s aid among the first to reach starving residents,” Nik Marina said in a statement today.

She explained that the breakthrough came after Jordanian authorities confirmed on July 26 that KHOM’s aid had been approved for entry, making it the first Malaysian NGO to deliver external aid to Gaza in nearly six months.

Nik Marina expressed gratitude to Jordan’s King Abdullah II for issuing the Royal Decree that enabled the mission, as well as to JAF, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), and other agencies for prioritising KHOM’s supplies in Jordan’s sixth aid mission to Gaza.

“The political truce in Gaza announced by Israel remains fragile. Even before the war, Gaza needed no less than 1,000 truckloads of food a day, let alone now when starvation is being used as a weapon of war,” she said.

She assured that KHOM will continue its relief efforts with public support, emphasising the trust Malaysians have placed in the organisation since the conflict began on Oct 7, 2023.

Donations can be made via KHOM’s official website at http://www.khom.org.my. – Bernama