GAZANS are going hungry and could face another crisis if food supplies are not allowed into the city, Malaysian pro-Palestine activist Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman said.

Cinta Gaza Malaysia’s chief executive officer told The Malaysian Insight that 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of starvation after Israel’s blockade of the strip following Hamas attacks on October 7.

Israel unleashed a massive bombing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 230 hostages, Israeli officials said.

More than 8,000 people have since been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, half of them children, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in the Palestinian territory said.

Nadir, who is married to a Palestinian and has lived in Gaza since 2013, said Gazans need at least 500 humanitarian trucks to help in the crisis.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), only 84 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza through Rafah since October 21. The crossing was earlier closed after Israel repeatedly bombed it.

“People in Gaza now rely on what they can get within their own territory. They can’t get supplies outside of Gaza and we need 500 trucks to cater for millions of people who are bombarded with rockets and missiles on a daily basis,” Nadir said.

“If we don’t get the supplies in weeks to come, we will end up with another humanitarian crisis. The situation is very serious and many are in dire need of aid,” said the 36-year-old.

WFP reported that before October 7, nearly 500 trucks of aid were delivered daily to people in the Gaza strip.

The aid entering now does not include fuel, which was banned by Israel. Fuel is needed to power hospitals, water and sewage works, and generate electricity.

Asked on his family’s wellbeing, Nadir said his wife and children are taking shelter at a relative’s home.

He said the last conversation he had with his wife was last Friday, before Israel decided to cut off the communication line, including the internet.

“While we were speaking, the line was cut and I couldn’t call her back. Later I found out that the communication lines were cut.

“Since October 7, my family has moved three times from one house to another. They cannot stay at one place for long as it was very risky. Aerial bombing can hit you anytime.

“At the moment they are safe, but with limited connection, I am very worried about their safety,” Nadir said.

Nadir flew home from Gaza days before the attack as he was supposed to settle a few matters in Kuala Lumpur.

He added the situation in Gaza will be determined in a few days to come as Israel has intensified its operations through ground attacks.

“It has entered the second phase, with ground attacks launched against Hamas, just to see how the group will retaliate.

“In the next phase they say they will rescue every hostage and wipe out Hamas entirely. I don’t see how they can do it because first they do not know the location of the hostages, and secondly they need to kill close to half of the population if they want to dismantle Hamas.

“Are they going to bow to international pressure and call a ceasefire? It will all be determined in days to come depending on its success in its ground attacks,” he said.

Malaysia can do more

Asked if Malaysia has done enough to help the plight of the Palestinians, Nadir said more can be done.

He said the Muslim world is in dire need of a leader who could pressure the west and that leader could come from Malaysia.

“Citizens’ participation in terms of solidarity has been superb. Since the attack on October 7, there have been so many solidarity campaigns,” Nadir said.

“On the part of the government, much more can be done. Turkey’s state-run rail company has announced a boycott of Starbucks products. They no longer sell Starbucks products in its high-speed railway network’s dining cars.

“The ruling Justice and Development Party followed suit and organised sit-in protests at the coffee chain’s stores around the country.

“We could organise our own Palestinian summit in Kuala Lumpur. We could gather pro-Palestinian countries all over the world as well as Muslim countries to look for a solution,” he said.

Hold more Palestine solidarity events in schools

Nadir also commented on the furore involving primary school children who were filmed carrying toy guns in school as part of its solidarity campaign.

Nadir said the Education Ministry (MOE) should promote the Palestine solidarity event in every school.

“To make it not compulsory, the ministry is not sending the right message. Every school has to carry on with the programme,” he said.

“About children carrying fake guns at schools, I think we misjudged the situation. It was to teach them to be brave. We were once occupied by foreign forces and we could be occupied again in the future.

“It was to teach our children to be brave and as long as it doesn’t involve anything dangerous, it should be allowed,” he added.

Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi had said the MOE must continue with the Palestine Solidarity Week despite pressure from various parties to cancel the programme.

He said the programme should not be halted just because a small group failed to comply with the ministry’s guidelines.

The programme came into focus after pictures of students and teachers holding toy guns at a number of school events expressing support for the Palestinian people went viral.

In a reaction, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for such programmes to be controlled so as not to cause any problems.

The ministry had then said it did not tolerate programmes that were extreme, radical and promoted terrorism. – October 31, 2023.