Half a million Maldivian Rufiyaa from this year’s Zakat al-Fitr fund has been donated to support children in Gaza, Palestine.

The funds were handed over to the Isra Association, a local NGO involved in Palestinian advocacy and humanitarian aid.

Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs, Ali Ahsan, confirmed that the donation was made on Sunday. Earlier this Ramadan, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, had announced that MVR 500,000 from the Zakat al-Fitr collection would be allocated to assist children in Gaza.

The Isra Association, based in the Maldives, works to support Palestine through awareness campaigns, fundraising, and humanitarian advocacy.

This year, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs recorded a historic rise in Zakat al-Fitr contributions, with MVR 12.4 million disbursed from the total MVR 13.2 million collected. Each of the 2,765 individuals listed in the national registry of low-income individuals and orphans received MVR 4,500, reflecting a significant increase compared to previous years. In the Greater Malé area, each registered person also received 15 kilograms of grains.