PM Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia-Japan Plans To Build Hospitals In Gaza

Gaza School, which is used as a refugee camp/UNRWA DOK

JAKARTA - Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim said his party was planning to build schools and hospitals in the Gaza Strip in collaboration with Japan through the Malaysian Waqf Foundation in the Palestinian enclave.

Anwar said Malaysia had previously announced plans to build the Malaysian Waqf Foundation in Gaza with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Initially, focus on the plan to build a small town there. However, according to Anwar, it would be more pragmatic to build mosques, schools and hospitals first.

For schools and hospitals, Malaysia will cooperate with Japan considering that it has spoken with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. Both parties agreed to take the initiative to reconstruct Gaza together with Malaysia, he said.

"With Japan, of course, schools and hospitals. For us, mosques," said Anwar as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 27.

According to Anwar, the program is related to humanity, "about human rights, about injustice, about colonialism. And the issue does not have to be handled only by Muslims".

Malaysia and Japan reached an agreement to mobilize the rebuilding of Gaza based on the initiative of the East Asian Countries Cooperation Conference for Palestine Development (CEAPAD) by establishing special funds to support the rebuilding of areas affected by the Israeli genocide war.