KUALA LUMPUR – The Ops Ihsan Secretariat remains strong in its commitment to extending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, despite recent reports that three people from separate Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Malaysia have been listed by the Terrorist Screening Centre (TSC) of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
This was according to a letter that was leaked from the Foreign Ministry.
The letter, which had made its rounds on social media the last few days, stated the ministry’s instruction that the three men no longer be involved with Op Ihsan, which oversees the delivery of humanitarian aid from Malaysia to Palestinians in Gaza.
Secretariat chairman Jismi Johari expressed concern over the letter involving the three people listed on the FBI’s TSC list; however, he said that the letter was sent to inform the secretariat of the matter as well as assist the secretariat in strengthening governance.
This is crucial to ensuring the smooth operation of humanitarian aid channels for the Palestinian people, he said.
“Op Ihsan represents a strategic collaboration wherein both government and non-governmental agencies work together seamlessly with the singular purpose of aiding Palestinians impacted by the escalating humanitarian conflict.
“This has been in effect since the inception of Op Ihsan in November 2023 and has proven successful in fulfilling its responsibilities,” he added.
The secretariat is committed to mobilising efforts to channel humanitarian aid to the Palestinians via more than 50 NGOs in Malaysia, working closely with the Foreign Ministry as the coordinating agency, he said.
Yesterday, a letter went viral informing Jismi that three Malaysians who were placed on the FBI’s TSC list are no longer allowed to be involved in Op Ihsan to manage the delivery of aid from Malaysia to Gaza.
Aman Palestin Bhd’s CEO, Awang Suffian Awang Piut, was one of the three Malaysians on the TSC list.
Due to the leaked letter, Jismi said Op Ihsan intends for all the secretariat members to sign a non-disclosure agreement on this matter to prevent similar incidents in the future.
He also said the three individuals were not very involved in Op Ihsan operations, but they were still getting confirmation on the extent of their involvement.
Following this, he advised all activists and NGOs to be careful when dealing with foreign individuals and organisations. – February 18, 2024