Over MVR 13 million was raised in the one-day special telethon organized by Maldivian media stations to aid Palestinians in besieged Gaza.

The telethon, titled ‘Aharemen Falasdheenaaeku’ – which translates to ‘We are with Palestine’ – kicked off at 10:30 am on Tuesday, and continued till midnight.

A total of MVR 12, 989,372.72 and USD 8,672.38 were received in donations over the course of the telethon.

This included an MVR 1 million donation from STO and its subsidiaries, the largest donation by a single party.

TV stations had been holding pre-shows for the telethon from 05:00 pm to 06:00 pm since Saturday.

The main goal of the telethon was to raise awareness on the plight of Palestinians, and raise funds to assist them.

Gaza’s ruling Hamas initiated a surprise attack on Israel in the early morning of October 7th – the deadliest attack on Israel in decades – following which Israel declared war against Palestine.

Death toll from relentless strikes on Gaza has surged to at least 3,000 with over 10,000 people sustaining injuries to various extents. Israel’s response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that endured a crippling siege since 2007.

Just moments, an Israeli strike hit a hospital in Gaza killing at least 500 people, expected to raise the death toll even further.