Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Sunday that Malaysia is prepared to participate in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Gaza, alongside other countries, including members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Anadolu news agency reported.
The statement was made during a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, according to Malaysian state media outlet Bernama.
“Malaysia also reiterated its firm stance in support of the Palestinian struggle, and welcomed the UN’s consistent position as well as the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed that the Israeli regime’s blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza constitutes a violation of international law,” Anwar said in a statement issued by his office.
The announcement comes amid the implementation of a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered through regional and international mediation under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. In December of 2023, the country banned Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports in response to Israel's actions in Gaza, which it said ignore "basic humanitarian principles".
Trump on Saturday night commented on the stabilization force that is supposed to enter Gaza as part of his plan, and said deployment was already underway. “Pretty soon. Pretty quickly. A period of time. You know, I don't want to give you... We're doing it right now. They're actually picking leaders right now.”
Trump confirmed that peacekeeping troops would enter Gaza when needed. “Israel will go in there very easily. You know that, right? So right there, you have a country. But you have the Arab countries or everybody, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, everybody's on board. It's been really an amazing thing. It's a great success. And it's going to be a long-lasting, hopefully everlasting, but long-lasting.”