Malaysia: Where is the $1m sent to PA to restore the Gaza medical clinic?

The Palestinian Authority Embassy in Malaysia has attempted to evade responsibility for failuring to rebuild Al-Remal Clinic in the besieged Gaza Strip nearly one year after receiving funds to do so from Malaysia.

The embassy issued a statement yesterday after the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations demanded clarifications from the Palestinian Authority on the fate of the five million Malaysian Ringgit ($1.12 million) donated by Malaysia to retore the clinic in October last year.

The embassy said in its statement that its role was limited to “coordination, arranging for meetings and reviewing the terms of the agreement” signed between the Palestinian Authority and the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It added that after signing the agreement, the Malaysian foreign ministry had transferred the fund to the Palestinian Authority’s Finance Ministry.

“As soon as the embassy was informed through an official letter that the [Malaysian] donation had been received, the embassy confirmed the receipt to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through an official letter supported by documents issued by the beneficiary bank,” the statement added.

OPINION: Malaysia is not a playground for the Israel-Hamas, or any other, conflict

Earlier, the head of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations  Mohd Azmi Abdel Hamid demanded “clarifications” as to why the PA had not restored Al-Remal Clinic in Gaza despite receiving the Malaysian donation.

Abdel Hamid’s demand came after a Palestinian newspaper revealed that the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah had cancelled the project.

Al-Remal Clinic was badly damaged after several buildings surrounding the compound were completely destroyed by Israeli air strikes in May 2021.