Malaysia PM Anwar meets Hamas leaders in Qatar, urges Israel to stop atrocities against Palestinians
Malaysia will also mobilise more efforts to help victims of the war in Gaza, he said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meets Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas' former chairman Khaled Mashal in Qatar. (Photo: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met Hamas leaders during an official three-day visit to Qatar where he urged Israel to stop atrocities against Palestinians.
He also called on Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners and agree to a peace plan, the Malaysian leader wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 14).
The Hamas delegation was led by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and former chairman Khaled Mashal.
They briefed Anwar on the latest situation in Gaza and Rafah.
In his post, Anwar also said Malaysia will continue to play its role in stopping attacks on Rafah and mobilise more efforts to help victims of the war in Gaza.
Israel plans to carry an all-out assault on Rafah, Hamas' last major stronghold in Gaza. It continued its push into the city on Monday, leaving civilians scrambling for safety.
"Since the conflict broke out (almost) eight months ago, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and injured with half of Gaza's land in permanent destruction due to the brutality of the Zionist regime.
"Malaysia appreciates the willingness of Hamas to release prisoners, especially children and women, and to accept the peace plan of the Arab world, the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) and the international community," added Anwar.
Anwar also conveyed his condolences on the passing of Haniyeh's family members who were killed in bombings by Israel.
Haniyeh's three sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip in April.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the attack, describing the three sons as operatives in the Hamas armed wing.
Four of Haniyeh's grandchildren, three girls and a boy, were also killed in the attack, Hamas said.
Asked about the four grandchildren killed in the airstrike, the Israeli military said there was "no information on that right now".
This was Anwar's first face-to-face meeting with Haniyeh as prime minister of Malaysia.
Anwar has met the top Hamas leader twice, with the last one in 2020 when Haniyeh visited Malaysia. They also met in 2019.
The prime minister also met the two top leaders of the Qatari government to discuss the conflict, Malaysian news outlet Bernama reported.
He said the two countries agreed that all parties should play a role in finding a solution to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, reported Bernama.
The Palestinian death toll in the war has now surpassed 35,000, according to Gaza health officials, whose figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
