ISTANBUL
Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday called for accountability of Israel’s renewed bombing of Gaza, which killed more than 400 people and injured hundreds of others.
“Israel’s latest bombardment of Gaza, killing over 400 Palestinians, is heinous and indefensible,” Ibrahim said on X.
“The wholesale destruction of a besieged population with no means of escape can never be justified on the pretext of self-defense,” the premier said, adding: “Nor can the ongoing difficulties in ceasefire negotiations justify collective punishment.”
“The international community must hold Israel to account and demand an immediate end to these atrocities,” Anwar Ibrahim concluded.
Separately, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said that his country is ready to accept 15 Palestinian prisoners of war to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza, according to Free Malaysia Today media outlet.
Hasan said that some of the prisoners had been held by Israel without trial for more than 20 years and would not be permitted to return to Palestine.
“This is our small contribution to ensuring peace in Palestine,” he said. “Malaysia is part of the ceasefire efforts in Gaza which were initiated by the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and the US.”
“If the prisoners are released, they cannot return to Gaza. Therefore, we (Malaysia) need to help by resettling (the prisoners) among the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) member states,” the Foreign Minister concluded.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Israel’s latest attacks on Gaza, saying that Kabul stands against “the occupying Zionist regime's resumption of aggressive raids on the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli army pounded the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 people and injuring hundreds of others, breaking the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas that took effect on Jan. 19, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Images from Gaza showed that the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night.
More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.
Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.