Around 2pm on Aug. 16, 2024, 41 injured Palestinians stepped onto Malaysian soil to seek medical treatment.

Aged between eight months and 62 years, these civilians were nursing various injuries from the war in Gaza.

A total of 127 Palestinian civilians were transported by two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Airbus A400M airlifters, which flew from the Al Maza Air Base in Egypt, and landed at the RMAF Subang Air Base.

The group comprised of 41 injured men, women, and children, along with 86 of their relatives, reported New Straits Times.

Safe arrival

Upon arrival, those dealing with trauma and physical injuries received preliminary examinations by RMAF medical personnel at a field hospital in the hangar.

@mindefmalaysia Kerajaan Malaysia telah berjaya melaksanakan misi membawa pulang pesakit-pesakit dari Palestin bagi menerima rawatan di Malaysia. Misi secara bersepadu ini telah dilaksanakan melalui Mesir dengan mengaturgerakkan dua buah pesawat A400M milik TUDM yang tiba di Malaysia pada 16 Ogos 2024, jam 2.00 petang dan 2.30 petang waktu Malaysia. Bantuan kemanusiaan ini bertujuan untuk membantu mengurangkan derita beban yang sedang dihadapi oleh rakyat Palestin khususnya daripada akses kepada perkhidmatan kesihatan yang baik untuk mereka sembuh dan meneruskan kehidupan.#MindefUpdate #MindefMalaysia #ATM #fyp #MINDEFInAction ♬ Action - Syafeea library

They were later transported to a hospital for further treatment.

Malaysia's defence minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told local media that the government has not yet set a time limit for the Palestinians' stay in Malaysia.

Mission carried out on humanitarian basis

Nordin shared that this mission was undertaken following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's announcement at the Palestine Solidarity Rally on Aug. 4 in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the government chose this mission over setting up a field hospital in Gaza, which was rendered unsafe by ongoing Israeli attacks.

"We carried out this mission purely on humanitarian considerations, and to show our solidarity against what is happening to the people of Palestine,” Nordin told the media at a news conference.

"It also shows our nation’s stand against this inhumane genocide."

Nordin added that the injured were evaluated to ensure they were fit for the 19-hour flight that made a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan.

Situation in Gaza

Nowhere is safe in Gaza, said Palestinian and United Nations officials.

The city's streets have been turned into a war zone after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

This 10-month-long war has since injured more than 92,400 Palestinians and taken the lives of over 40,000, according to a recent report by CNN.

These numbers can fluctuate depending on reports, as they rely either on the higher or lower ends of estimates.

The death toll of soldiers from the Isreal Defense Forces (IDF) have climbed to 689 since the start of the war.

Almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, with countless homes destroyed and civilians suffering food shortages.

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Top image via @mindefmalaysia/TikTok