KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Humanitarian Aid and Relief (MAHAR) has condemned the introduction of “Orange Line” in the Gaza Strip, calling it a flagrant perpetuation of the modern Nakba.
MAHAR said the new demarcation, reportedly made unilaterally by the occupying forces behind the veneer of aid logistics adjustment, has been detected to intrude further inside the Yellow Line – the safe zone agreed upon during the ongoing ceasefire.
“MAHAR expresses our profound anger and regret that the Israeli regime has been detected quietly hastening the ethnic cleansing and geographical robbery of the Gaza Strip, just as Palestinians commemorated the 78th anniversary of the Nakba tragedy yesterday.
“At a time when the world’s geopolitical focus has shifted to the crisis in Iran and the turmoil in the energy market, the dignity and what has remained of the Palestinian land are being systematically confiscated,” he said, through a statement on Saturday.
According to MAHAR, this boundary manipulation brings with it a profound humanitarian impact, including extreme cramming, with more than 85 per cent of the Gaza population now forced into a shrinking, derelict, and inhumane protection zone.
The health system has also collapsed. Now, less than 43 per cent of hospitals are still partially functioning as a result of supply blockage.
“Gaza is also experiencing a man-made famine. Cost of living has surged more than 280 per cent, triggering a critical acute malnutrition crisis among children,” the statement read.
MAHAR calls upon the international community and global diplomatic powers to immediately stop this latest collective punishment and demarcation tactic before ethnic Palestinians are eliminated from their own land.
MAHAR President Jismi Johari said the introduction of the “Orange Line” at a time when the world is commemorating the Nakba tragedy is proof of the systematic and relentless oppression by the Zionist regime to deny the Palestinians the rights to their own lands.
“Under Ops Ihsan, MAHAR will not retreat. We are committed to ensuring that Dapur Ihsan, the supply of clean water, and temporary classes continue to operate. This is not just a mission to deliver aid; we are doing our best to protect the dignity and survival of our brothers and sisters in Gaza," he said.
According to MAHAR, since October 2023, the organisation has been consistently broken through barriers to deliver critical aid through five main pillars, namely Dapur Ihsan (hot food), clean water supply, mosque repair, temporary education classes, and regular food basket distributions.
The European Union (EU) early this month announced its rejection of any change to territorial control in the Gaza Strip, following Israel’s establishment of the so-called “Orange Line” in the Strip, Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
Anwar Al-Anouni, spokesperson for the EU’s foreign affairs office, said the EU rejects this move, which increases the area of land under Israeli control to more than 60 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
-- BERNAMA
