Israel-Hamas War: Maldives Imposes Ban on Entry of Israeli Nationals
20:17 02.06.2024 (Updated: 20:53 02.06.2024)
© AP Photo / Rafiq MaqboolMaldives President Mohamed Muizzu speaks during a plenary session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The president of the Maldives has suspended three of his deputy ministers for posting derogatory comments against India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Mohamed Muizzu suspended the three until further notice for their posts on X, formerly Twitter, which were in response to Modi’s posts promoting the pristine beaches of India’s Lakshadweep archipelago for Indian travelers. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool), File)
© AP Photo / Rafiq Maqbool
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Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu will appoint a special envoy to assess the needs of Palestinians, and launch a nationwide fundraising campaign in collaboration with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The Maldives has an entry ban on Israeli nationals over Israel's ongoing assault on the besieged Gaza Strip
President Mohamed Muizzu imposed the measure with the approval of the cabinet, his office said in a statement on Sunday.
The cabinet's resolution includes amending relevant laws to prevent Israeli passport-holders from entering the Maldives. A cabinet subcommittee will be established to oversee the implementation of these changes.
"The Cabinet decision includes amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts," the statement read.
Muizzu has also called for a nationwide rally under the slogan "Falastheenaa Eku Dhivehin" ("Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine") to express support for the Palestinian cause.
The Maldives, and island nation in the Indian ocean, is a popular tourist destination.
Israel's bombing campaign and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave — ostensibly to defeat the ruling Hamas movement and free over 100 hostages — has killed more than 36,000 people, mostly women, children and the elderly.
The UN relief agency UNWRA warned on Sunday that 1.7 million Palestinians, already refugees from earlier attacks, were being displaced again by the latest assault on the city of Rafah.