Malta opens bank account to collect donations for Palestinians in Gaza

ROME

Malta's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it has created a bank account to collect donations for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

The ministry issued a statement saying it recalled warnings by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of an impending humanitarian disaster in Gaza and expressed concerns over the situation in the enclave.

Members of the public who wish to help those in Gaza can donate to the account, the statement said, assuring that the funds will only be used for this purpose.

The decision was made due to recent difficulties for humanitarian assistance to pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza, it noted, adding the donations would be transferred to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The ministry said it also doubled its annual contributions to UNRWA for better assisting vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and other regions.

The Gaza Strip has been crippled by a years-long embargo by the Israeli government plus a cutoff of fuel, water and power supplies since the start of the current conflict on Oct. 7.

In recent days, Israel has let some aid into the enclave, but only a fraction of what its 2.3 million residents need to survive.

The Israeli military has expanded its air and ground attacks in Gaza, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have since been killed in the conflict, including at least 9,061 Palestinians.