Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has met with the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Palestine in Maldives Ragheb Ahmed Khalaf.

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

During the meeting, FM Shahid presented an exequatur to the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Palestine in Maldives.

He also congratulated the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Palestine in Maldives and reiterated the strong commitment of the people and government of Maldives, towards the Palestinian cause.

Discussions at the meeting revolved around further strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries.

At a time Israeli armed forces have been carrying out unprovoked air strikes across Gaza since October 7, the Maldives has requested for a special emergency meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the crisis.

The Maldivian government has been reiterating its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve self-determination and lasting peace.

Israel declared war on Palestine after Hamas launched a mass military operation into the territory of Israel on October 7 in response to Israeli violation of the Al Aqsa Mosque. Attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers have since spiked and the death toll has exceeded the 7,000-mark as of Thursday.