JOHOR BAHRU – Palestinians residing in Johor are expressing hope for the Rafah border crossing to be fully opened to allow the smooth flow of humanitarian aid and convoys into Gaza.
Dr Mohamad Darwish, a civil engineering lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), is calling leaders of Islamic countries to pressure Egypt to promptly open the Rafah border, as thousands of trucks carrying essential goods are currently barred from entry.
“Israel has attacked and bombed hospitals, schools and civilian shelters in Palestine. Many infants in hospitals are dying due to the lack of utility supplies, including petrol. They also killed many children and women and targeted civilian areas.
“So the only way to help Palestinians and let the fuel enter Gaza is through the Rafah border. As far as I know, all the medical aid with thousands of lorries are waiting to enter Gaza.
“We don’t know what is stopping them from opening the border, it should be controlled by Egypt, not Zionist,” he told reporters after the Palestinian solidarity rally at the Kempas Permai People’s Housing Project here today.
Asked about the condition of his family in Gaza, the father of four expressed concern about their safety as communications have been cut off for the past week.
“Some of my relatives have been killed (but) alhamdulillah, my parents, siblings and other family members are still in Gaza. The situation there is horrible, with no access to electricity or water supply.
“The last time I spoke with them was last week and I still try to get updates from time to time. Making calls is very challenging for them because they have to go outside, which is very dangerous for their safety.
“I pray that Allah helps bring victory to Palestine and protect the safety of my family and other Palestinians there,” said Mohamad, who has been residing in Malaysia since 2013. – Bernama
