It is high time for Malaysia to re-emerge as the voice of the South and Muslim countries 

BY THE time this article is published, the total casualty of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip consequential to the Israel army’s military operation could’ve already surpassed the dreaded 2,000 deaths. 

Within seven days of Hamas militia’s incursion into the Israeli-occupied territory, Gaza had already recorded 1,537 civilian deaths, surpassing the claimed 1,200 Israeli lives lost. This gruesome fact is exacerbated by the presence of more than 5,600 civilians with various degree of injuries in 13 hospitals around the city that has lost all infrastructure including power, food and water. 

It won’t be far-fetched to assume that the death toll of Palestinians could increase by the multiples at the end of the week. 

The vengeful Israel Defence Force is not showing any signs of slowing down. Its extremist Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu has openly threatened to reduce Gaza to a deserted island and warned its residents to leave immediately. Days of indiscriminate, relentless Israeli air and artillery strikes have flattened entire districts. 

And the Israel army — long admonished for violating every single international and human right laws by committing multiple crimes of apartheid and murder against Palestinian civilians, international journalists and independent medical personnels — has no qualms about criminally using chemical weapons against military or civilian targets. 

Video captures have already confirmed that white phosphorus munitions were used by the Israelis in attacks on the Gaza port. White phosphorus painfully burns its victims — banned under international and humanitarian laws — yet Israel is brazenly using it against civilians. 

Any hope for the Palestinians would involve a determined international intervention to ensure a safe passage for the 2.22 million Gaza citizens and children to a safer area in the Rafah district to the south, and possibly across the border in Sinai district of Egypt. 

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi may be defiant against reprieve for the Palestinian, reportedly adamant that Gazans must “stay steadfast and remain on their land”. But steadfast with what? 

Gazans have been bullied into submission for the last seven decades with the world watching at the sidelines. Since Hamas came to power in 2007, the Gaza Strip has been surrounded by heavily fortified perimeter and prohibitive territorial waters and airspace, plunging the citizens’ life into a living hell. 

In its damning 2022 report entitled “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and A Crime Against Humanity”, Amnesty International scathingly reprimanded Israel for committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians via massive 

seizures of land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, movement restrictions, and denial of nationality and citizenship. 

The oppressor boasts one of the world’s most powerful militaries, bolstered by the US’s US$3.8 billion (RM17.91 billion) annual military aid. The terrorist state has more than 169,500 active military personnel, over 2,000 tanks, 530 artillery units, 309 ground attack jets, 43 Apache attack helicopters and 49 coastal patrol ships. 

It operates on a completely different scale compared to the Hamas militia consisting of around 20,000 fighters skilled with guerilla warfare equipped with small fire- arms, rocket-propelled grenades and small vehicles. 

In any ground offensive, the Gaza citizens will undoubtedly suffer devastating loss. 

In the previous conflict which lasted for 50 days in 2014, the Israelis killed approximately 2,251 Palestinians including 1,462 civilians, 551 of whom were children and 299 women. In contrast, 66 Israel soldiers and five civilians lost their lives. That is a staggering ratio of 32 Palestinian lives for each Israeli lost. 

The only fighting chance for the Gazans is the establishment of a safe corridor. Based on the latest developments, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have finally begun to show empathy towards their plight, both publicly discussing and concurring in international and independent news channels that safety of Gaza’s deprived citizens is of paramount importance. 

With our strengthened multi-lateral and international relationships built since the end of last year, Malaysia would be in a good stead to play the role as a Gaza peace lobbyist, ensuring the safety of its citizens. 

Throughout the year, PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been on the move, re-establishing and strengthening relationships within the region — Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand — as well as traditional international allies — Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, China. Now is the time to leverage this goodwill for the Palestinian cause. 

While it may be challenging to soften Egypt’s stance, our nearest ally, Turkiye, has recently rejuvenated its bilateral relation with Cairo and may be inclined to use that to protect Gazans. 

It is high time for Malaysia to re-emerge as the voice of the South and Muslim countries, and to speak out against oppression and injustice on the global platform. — pic AFP

• Asuki Abas is the editor at The Malaysian Reserve. 

• This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition