Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to repatriate Palestinians delayed by negotiations with Egypt, says defence minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Most of the Palestinians brought to Malaysia in August last year for medical treatment have fully recovered from their injuries and are being prepared for repatriation, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said negotiations with the Egyptian government for their repatriation are ongoing and may take time.

“We will not directly send them to Gaza or (other parts of) Palestine. We need to go through Egypt, and this is where we have our challenges, as negotiations with the Egyptian government will take some time.

“But we are committed, as requested by them, to send them back home. We hope that they understand it will take time and they will not resort to what they have done to bring their message to us,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled said this as a panellist at the Malaysia Economic Forum session titled Asean Dynamics: Capitalising on Opportunities and Navigating Transition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.

He also expressed his regret over the recent commotion involving Palestinians at Wisma Transit Kuala Lumpur (WTKL), because they were brought to Malaysia to receive medical treatment.

The Malaysian Armed Forces previously confirmed that the WTKL incident last Saturday stemmed from their wish to return home.

On Aug 16 last year, Malaysia brought in 127 Palestinians, including 41 individuals injured during Israeli attacks in Gaza.

The injured were treated at Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital here while their relatives were placed at WTKL. — Bernama