Malaysia, Japan Deeply Concerned Over Large Scale Israeli Offensive On Rafah

Malaysia and Japan on Monday expressed deep concern over a large-scale Israeli offensive on Rafah city in the Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians have sought refuge, with Kuala Lumpur saying the "Zionist regime goal" of the attacks is to "annihilate the Palestinians from their own land."

In a strong-worded statement, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry condemned the new Israeli attack on Palestinians, calling it "irresponsible, illegal, and inhumane," and warned that it will worsen the humanitarian disaster, exacerbate regional tensions, and derail efforts toward an immediate cessation of hostilities and a permanent cease-fire.

Kaula Lumpur demanded that Tel Aviv cease its actions immediately and comply with international human rights law.

"This dastardly military operation clearly vindicates the key goal by the Zionist regime to annihilate the Palestinians from their own land," the ministry's statement read.

"It again demonstrates their blatant disregard of fundamental principles of international law and a clear contempt of the last month's rulings by the International Court of Justice on six provisional measures," it added.

The international community, it observed, cannot allow one of its members' belligerent acts to continue "without impunity."

"In this regard, Malaysia echoes the calls by the UN Secretary-General for an immediate halt to the vile plan and urges the UN Security Council to take swift and decisive action to stop the massacre being perpetrated by the Zionist regime," it said.

Malaysia reiterated that its "resolute support and solidarity with the Palestinian people remain unwavering, including towards their right to self-determination, the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and accepted as a full UN member."

Children, women killings slammed

Japan on Monday also said it is "deeply concerned" about reports of an Israeli military operation in Rafah.

"Over one million Palestinian people in Gaza have been displaced in Rafah, which is a particularly important location for the delivery of humanitarian supplies," a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

As the humanitarian situation on the ground deteriorates and the number of civilian casualties, including a large number of children, women, and elderly people, continues to rise, it is crucial to improve the humanitarian situation as soon as possible and to create an environment in which humanitarian assistance activities can be carried out, it added.

"While having unequivocally condemned the terror attacks by Hamas and others and having consistently called for the immediate release of hostages, Japan once again reiterates the importance of the protection of civilians, and urges all parties to act in accordance with international law including international humanitarian law, and to act in good faith based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including ensuring humanitarian assistance," it said.

Palestinians sought refuge in Rafah after the Israeli army launched intensified bombardments on Gaza and Khan Younis cities, as well as their surrounding towns and neighborhoods, on Oct. 7, killing more than 28,000 people and causing widespread destruction and shortages of necessities. -