Salam, many in the community have correctly raised the issue of the delay in FIANZ issuing a Press Statement on the crisis in Gaza. We want to explain the context.

Firstly, our focus has been to provide support our Palestinian brothers and sisters here. The Palestinian organisations and some of their key people had a meeting with FIANZ and at their request we organised for them to urgently meet with the leadership of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade , Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet , NZ Police, MBIE, MEC and others. This was all organised within 12 hours and we supported the Palestinian leaders to come to Wellington from all over the country. They had the opportunity to directly share their views and submit their requests to the government. Alhamdollilah our Palestinian brothers and sisters made an excellent presentation followed by robust discussion. This was the first time in NZ history that all the Palestinian organisations have collectively met with the key leadership of the various government agencies. FIANZ used our government relations to facilitate this important mahi .

Our second focus has been to discuss with senior government officials the need for urgency for humanitarian supplies and diplomacy to ensure NZ’s position is aligned to international human rights. The current advisory ( attached) posits FIANZ’s position, and we are continuing to press for humanitarian aid for Gaza. There are also issues, such as humanitarian visas for those displaced, like what has been offered to Ukrainians. The pathway for aid is also an important consideration, given that Israel has effectively stopped all supplies of water, food, medical supplies, and electricity. Security for our community here has also been discussed and the concerns that complaints are not being followed up in a timely manner. Many such issues arising from the current crisis are being discussed.

Our third focus has been an evidence-based advisory, particularly for the NZ media since all they seem to have been doing is conveying the news ( and editorial content) from overseas media who have their own editorial vested interests. We have done an analysis of this. We have also noted that many journalists are not even familiar with the history of the region. and the desperate plight of the Palestinians . Our advisory aims to provide context and background understanding for the NZ media. .

Finally, our focus has also been on fundraising for the Palestinian children, women, and men Our national appeal has started. We have also found an UN gateway for such donations.

Whilst a press statement is useful and necessary, the unfortunate part is that responding to the aftermath of such statement takes enormous amount of time and resources. Instead, we prioritised our time and resources on the deliverables as noted above . We hope that you understand our reasons.

We pray to Allah SWT to guide us all to Seeratul Mustaqeem.