Funds collected from this year's Zakat al-Fitr have been utilised to provide essential food aid to the residents of Gaza in Palestine. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs allocated a portion of the approximately USD 862,714.71 collected in Zakat this year to aid those in need in Gaza.
Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, confirmed that the food provisions, funded by the Zakat entrusted to the Zakat House by Maldivian citizens, have reached families in Gaza suffering from hunger. This initiative, which delivered approximately USD 32,418 worth of food supplies, was facilitated with the assistance of the Isra Association.
This marks the second instance of aid being provided to Gaza through Zakat funds, with the first being a USD 100,000 contribution last year. These earlier funds were allocated towards a Qatar Red Crescent Society project focused on providing clean drinking water for the people of Gaza.
The recent aid arrives against a backdrop of a volatile security situation in Gaza. Following attacks initiated by Israelis on 7 October 2023, which Palestinians and the Muslim world described as a campaign of genocide, a ceasefire agreement was established on 19 January this year between the ruling Hamas faction in Gaza and Israel after 15 months of conflict.
During the subsequent two-month lull in hostilities, food and aid supplies began to enter Gaza. However, this period was short-lived, as Israeli forces resumed restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza approximately six weeks prior, leading to a renewed intensification of attacks in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Gaza, a densely populated city with 2.3 million inhabitants, has been severely impacted by the disruption of essential supplies. The food provisions that entered during the brief ceasefire have now been depleted, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.