Days of Palestine, Reports –Media outlets in the Maldives have raised nearly $2 million to help Gaza residents affected by massive destruction caused by 51-day Israeli war on Gaza Strip.
“About 10 media institutions, including online and print, came together to raise this money,” spokesman Ahmed Zahir said by telephone from Male.
Maldives, a high-end holiday destination in the Indian Ocean, has expressed solidarity with Gaza, whose economy is expected to take years to recover from Israeli shelling and air strikes.
Male has imposed a ban on Israeli-made goods and last month revoked three cooperation agreements with the Israeli occupation on health, tourism and education.
Zahir said 29.4 million rufiyaa ($1.91 million) was given this week to the Qatar Red Crescent to supply food and water and help victims recover from the widespread destruction caused by the Israeli savage war on the Gaza Strip.
The money was raised through a 36-hour live appeal, as well as through other public contributions from state and privately-owned companies.
During the seven-week war, the Israeli occupation killed 2,147 Palestinians, more than 70 percent of them civilians, according to the United Nations, and 65 soldiers and six civilians on the Israeli side.
Hostility to Israelis
There has also been hostility among residents of the Maldives, which has a population of around 330,000 people, to Israeli tourists.
Last month, Israeli holidaymakers were evacuated from their Maldivian resort after one tore up an anti-Israeli placard equating the Nazi swastika to the Israeli flag.
Some 30 Israeli surfers were moved out to safety from Thulusdhoo Island, near the capital island Male, as residents protested the pulling down of the anti-Israeli placards.
The Maldives, known for virgin beaches and secluded coral islands popular with honeymooners, attracted over a million tourists last year of which less than one percent were Israelis.
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