KUALA LUMPUR: Six Malaysians, comprising five specialist doctors and a logistics personnel are now stranded in a hospital in Rafah, Palestine, after entering the Palestine - Israel conflict zone on May 1.
A video message by one of the doctors, who identified himself as Dr Hanif, said they are still seeking shelter at the hospital while treating the wounded.
Dr Hanif said they were waiting for orders from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) on when to leave as soon as Israel's Zionist regime reopens the borders.
"Assalamualaikum warahmatullah hiwabarakatuh. I am Dr Hanif, a general surgeon from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). We are now in the hospital (name of hospital is unclear in the video) in Rafah.
"...we've been in Palestine since May 1. We are under Mercy's EMT (Mercy Malaysia Emergency Medical Team) under the WHO.
"We have been stuck here since the ground invasion. For now, we are still stationed here and the hospital is still gazetted as a safe zone for us to seek shelter. We are still working here, treating patients brought to the hospital.
"At the hospital, there has been attempts at evacuation. They have tried to bring the equipment to the active field hospital.
"We are awaiting instructions from the WHO and UN to get out as soon as possible when Israel opens the Rafah border. So please pray for all of us here.
"Insya-Allah (God willing), your prayers are important to us all," he said in the recording.
Dr Hanif was speaking via a video call with social media celebrity, Caprice, on the latter's Instagram page. The video later went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, Mercy Malaysia deputy executive director, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Amirrol, when contacted, said that for now, they cannot share any information due to safety concerns.
"We can't share anything yet for now in the interest of safety. We're in the process of evacuating our team members there.
"Insya'Allah, the team are okay and well," he said.
On Thursday, South Africa, at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accused Israel of stepping up genocide in Gaza, urging the court to order a halt to Israel's assault on Rafah.
Israel's genocide, said South African representative Vusimuzi Madonsela, has "just reached a new and horrific stage."
At least 35,386 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since Oct 7, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Aid agencies have warned of widespread hunger and shortages of fuel and medical supplies.