KUALA LUMPUR: Two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Airbus A400M airlifters have flown to Al Maza Air Base in Egypt to bring injured Palestinian civilians to Malaysia for treatment.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed the matter to the New Straits Times, saying the mission was being carried out following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement at the Palestine Solidarity Rally on Aug 4.
"Yes, I will inform the press (on where they will be treated) when they arrive," he said in a brief reply to NST.
According to FlightRadar24, the two A400Ms bearing the callsigns RMF148 and RMF147 took off from Subang Air Base around 7pm on Tuesday, stopping over at Karachi before landing at Al Maza Air Base at around 6am local time.
The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities.
Named after the Greek god who carried the world on his shoulders, the Atlas, which can land on grass, and semi-prepared strips, is capable of carrying heavier loads than the C-130 Hercules including helicopters and heavy infantry fighting vehicles.
It also has air-to-air refuelling capability and can be fitted for medical evacuation to accommodate up to 66 stretchers and 25 medical personnel.
Meanwhile, Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali said the injured Palestinians are still being processed in Egypt before they can be brought to the country.
However, he could not provide further information.
Previously, Anwar announced that the government would help with treating injured Palestinians, particularly women and children, by bringing them to Malaysia.
He said he was in contact with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah to seek his assistance in facilitating humanitarian support.
Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and many more injured following Israel's offensive on Gaza in response to a Hamas attack on Oct 7 last year.
Most of those killed are women and children.