[WATCH] Malaysian Nurul Ain Haron, Palestinian husband successfully evacuated from Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian national Nurul Ain Haron and her Palestinian husband Mohamed A.M. Shaat were evacuated from Gaza via the Rafah crossing at 2.23am Malaysian time.

They have been trapped in the war zone as they were in Khan Yunis since October 1 to visit their in-laws.

The evacuation was confirmed by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry in a statement today. 

“Once Nurul Ain and her husband had safely arrived at the Rafah border crossing, they were contacted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir who checked in on them via a video call. 

“(The evacuation) was facilitated by the Malaysian ambassador to Cairo (Egypt) and other embassy officials,” Wisma Putra added, noting that the ambassador is also providing the couple with necessary consular help. 

According to recordings of the video call shared by Wisma Putra, Anwar and Zambry had conveyed their gratitude and relief over the couple’s rescue.

“It wasn’t easy, but we tried our best. Alhamdulillah, when you’re back in Malaysia, share your experiences so that the people know the conditions there (in Gaza) and the atrocities committed,” Anwar told Nurul Ain and her husband during the call.

_{Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir in a conference call with Nurul Ain and Mohamed A.M. Shaat. – Zambry Abd. Kadir Facebook pic, November 13, 2023}

The ministry also said the evacuation was successfully carried out thanks to Anwar’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the prime minister’s working visit to Egypt on October 23. 

Besides that, the ministry thanked the Egyptian and Qatari governments as well as their ambassadors in Kuala Lumpur for their cooperation in evacuating Malaysian citizens stranded in the Gaza conflict areas.

Previously, 37-year-old Nurul Ain told a local news outlet that she was determined to leave Palestine and even though she was helping the local residents.

Despite the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt nearly three weeks ago, there was little to no indication at that time that foreigners stranded in Khan Yunis, in the southern region of the Strip, would be evacuated anytime soon.

“There’s not much I can do from here. I’m determined to get out, no questions asked,” she was quoted as saying.

Nurul Ain and her 33-year-old husband, who works in the United Arab Emirates, had travelled to Gaza for the first time on October 1 after six years of marriage, and just a week before war broke out in the Strip.  

She reportedly celebrated her birthday on October 11 with the sounds of explosions from bombs dropped by Israeli forces.

Nurul Ain had earlier mentioned that while their family’s food supplies were adequate, obtaining extra provisions for assistance proved challenging, and they must source them from various different suppliers.

She said then that in order to conserve the limited water supply, her family only showered once a day. There was also no access to electricity and clean water for days on end.

“Regarding cooking fuel, since we don’t have gas supplies, we rely on discarded materials like wood and paper to create a fire for cooking.”

Yesterday, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said 20 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza have gone out of service since October 7 due to Israeli attacks and fuel shortages.

In addition, thousands of people remain trapped in the Al-Shifa Hospital as the Israeli military surrounds Gaza’s largest health complex despite repeated calls for a ceasefire.

“There is no safe passage out of the hospital,” said a message from the Gaza Health Ministry which was shared by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Up to 650 patients are in the health facility – including newborns and the critically injured – 200 to 500 health workers, as well as 1,500 internally displaced people who have been taking shelter since the war started more than a month ago.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women since October 7. – November 13, 2023