Ex-Malaysian premier calls for UN peacekeeping force to protect Gazans

ISTANBUL

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday called for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to protect Gazans, condemning Israel’s actions.

“Israelis did not honor their commitment in the ceasefire agreement,” he said on X. “All they did was to stop the killings in order to gain freedom for the hostages.”

Mahathir accused Israel of maintaining “the blockade on supplies, medicine, and temporary housing,” which he said were essential conditions of the ceasefire agreement.

Both Israel and the US threatened Gazans with “hell” if they did not release all the hostages, he pointed out, adding: “Now these inhuman actions have restarted the genocide."

Mahathir warned that even if all hostages were freed, Israel and the US would not stop until they occupied and took over Gaza. He urged the world not to remain indifferent to “two million Gazans being killed,” referring to the population of Gaza.

“The only solution is for the United Nations to send a multinational peacekeeping force to protect the Gazans,” he stated. “The Israelis and the Americans will resist, but the world must take the risk. These inhuman people must be stopped by force.”

On March 18, the Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 730 people and injuring nearly 1,200 others, despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that had been in place since January.

Since October 2023, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left over 113,200 injured.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.