Malaysia: 'The problem is not the Houthis, it’s Israel's aggression against Gaza'

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed yesterday that he discussed with Egyptian officials ways to bring aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Ibrahim stressed the need for the focus to be on the humanitarian tragedy that Palestinians are experiencing in the Gaza Strip and not on relations with Hamas.

Commenting on the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Ibrahim added in statements to Al Jazeera that the problem did not begin with the operations launched by the Yemeni groups but rather with the Israeli occupation’s aggression against Gaza.

The Malaysian official affirmed that the security services in his country are at the highest level of caution in anticipation of any assassination operations of Palestinians, emphasising that his country will not tolerate any attempt to kill Palestinians on its territory.

Malaysia supports Gaza

In December 2023, Malaysia announced in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office that it banned ships carrying the Israeli flag and prevented ships heading to Israel from loading goods at ports.

It explained that these measures come: “In response to Israel’s actions that ignore the basic principles of humanity and violate international law by continuing to commit massacres and atrocities against the Palestinians.”

In his last statement, the Malaysian prime minister praised South Africa’s lawsuit against the occupation in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), attesting his country’s full support for the step.

Ibrahim expressed: “Malaysia strongly affirms its position in full support of South Africa’s work at the International Court of Justice to oppose tyranny and support justice.”

The prime minister of Malaysia criticised Western countries for ignoring and continuing their silence regarding the “atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine since 7 October, 2023.”

Ibrahim also posted a statement on X: “The Western countries continue to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Israel, becoming effectively complicit in the insidious acts of crimes against humanity. To date, since October 7th, Israel has murdered 24,100 innocent lives with utter impunity even as the vast majority of the international community have vehemently condemned its vile and genocidal acts.”

The Malaysian official added: “This recent spate of brutal slaughter of innocent Palestinians is but a mere extension of a protracted seven decades of oppression and tyranny, clearly manifesting the hatred, revulsion and antagonism of the Israeli regime towards the Palestinian people.”

This comes at a time when the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of victims of the Israeli war on the Strip had risen to 27,019 Palestinian martyrs and 66,139 since 7 October, 2023, while the Israeli army website reported that five soldiers were injured within the past 24 hours.

Read: Thousands of Yemenis stage rallies across Houthi-controlled region in support of Palestinians in Gaza