Malaysia and Philippines condemn Israeli attacks on civilians, UN peacekeepers

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) — Malaysia and the Philippines on Thursday expressed condemnation of the Israeli army's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon targeting civilians and UN peacekeepers.

In a statement by its Foreign Ministry, Malaysia "strongly" condemned Israeli forces' latest attacks on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza and its "illegal" siege of the Jabalia refugee camp.

"Malaysia condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric and inhumane attacks by Israeli forces on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah and the illegal siege of the Jabalia Refugee Camp," said the statement.

"The horrific images of victims being burnt alive show just a fraction of the Zionist Israeli regime's war crimes, crimes against humanity and ongoing genocide in Gaza. Such images characterize the Zionist Israeli regime’s devastating campaign of terror, evidently aiming to annihilate the Palestinians and render Gaza uninhabitable," the statement added.

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, it went on to say, has reached "unprecedented" levels, yet the "Zionist" Israeli regime continues its relentless and indiscriminate assaults and committing massacres while undermining international efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution.

Kuala Lumpur reiterated its "urgent" call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza. Failure to act in the face of these atrocities constitutes complicity and threatens any remaining hopes for peace, it added.

It demanded that the UN Security Council fulfill its "charter-mandated" responsibilities by holding the "Zionist" Israeli government accountable for its actions and upholding the sanctity of international law to end Israel's "impunity," the statement further said.

"Malaysia will continue to render its undivided support to the Palestinian people until they are able to attain their right to self-determination in a sovereign Palestinian state, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"Malaysia stands resolutely with the Palestinian people in their unwavering quest for freedom, dignity, and justice, and we will continue to advocate for their rights on the global stage," it concluded.

Joyce Msuya, acting under-secretary-general for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on Wednesday described the catastrophic toll on civilians in Gaza, with vivid accounts of patients "burning alive" after an Israeli airstrike on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, last October.

More than 42,400 people have since been killed, most of them women and children, and over 99,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of Gaza amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

- Philippines condemns Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The Philippines also released a statement of condemnation over Israel's conduct, specifically over its recent attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, injuring several.

A statement by the Southeast Asian country's Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines "strongly" condemned "any action" that endangers the safety and security of UN peacekeepers as they fulfill their mandate in accordance with the UN Charter.

"We urge all UN Member States to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that peacekeepers are permitted to carry out their critical work. Violations of peacekeeping mandates undermine the rules-based international order and destabilize regions where peace efforts are most needed," said the statement.

"We reaffirm our commitment to multilateral cooperation for the promotion of international peace and security," it added.

Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing more than 1 million.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed nearly 42,400 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Israel expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon, ignoring warnings that this could escalate the war into a regional conflict.