The President's Office has revealed that the two million cans of tuna donated to the bereaved people of Palestine by the former administration of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, is yet to be delivered and that the first shipment will be dispatched on Sunday.

Chief Spokesperson Heena Waleed said that 7,800 cases of canned tuna out of the full donation to the Palestinian people, will be shipped out on Sunday.

She said this while speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office on Tuesday.

Former President Solih announced the decision to donate in-kind assistance to the people of Palestine, of two million cans of tuna, on 24 October 2023.

The donation aimed to support the ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian and relief aid to those affected by the ongoing unprovoked air strikes across Gaza Israeli armed forces have been carrying out since October 7.

The former administration noted that the donation would be a symbol of the Maldives’ strongest solidarity with the Palestinian people.

However, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu took over as the eighth president of Maldives, at a time the former administration had already settled the payment to purchase two million cans of tuna, to MIFCO and paid freight charges required to ship the donation.

Since then, there have been reports that the tuna cans were distributed amidst the preparations for the People’s Majlis polls.

While it has been ten months since Muizzu assumed office, the aid is yet to be handed over.

The cans are to be delivered through the Egyptian Red Crescent and Heena noted that once sent this way, it would take 40 days to arrive.

After it arrives, the Palestinian Red Crescent will begin distributing them.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier claimed that the aid has not been sent due to barriers and challenges in sending the donation to the people of Palestine. Further, the ministry stated that they were in talks with Palestinian authorities to send the aid to the people of Palestine as soon as possible.

Usually, such assistances and donations are handed over and delivered through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and authorities have failed to clarify a reason the donation has not reached UNRWA yet.

At a meeting of the Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee held on February 21, then-Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) lawmakers had expressed concern over the delay in providing the aid.