The Malaysian leader underscored his solidarity with the plight of Palestinians during his panel talk and the imperative for international preparedness to secure peace in the region.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim said that the world must have a preparedness “to secure peace” amid no let up in Israel’s indiscriminate onslaught of the Gaza Strip.

During a panel discussion with Ibrahim at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, the Malaysian leader was asked about his meeting with senior Hamas political leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal.

“[This was] to understand from them the latest development [In Gaza,] other than, of course, from the Qatari leaders,” Ibrahim said. He added that it was important for him to express his condolences with Haniyeh following Israeli forces killing his children and grandchildren in April.

To date, the total death toll of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza stands at 5,173 people with a further  79,061 left injured.

Ibrahim added that he “respects the initiative by the Qataris, by the Arab League, by the OIC, by the international community.”

Qatar has been at the forefront of mediatory efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement and end the bloodshed in Gaza.

Despite such efforts, Israel’s military has intensified its unlawful operations in Rafah. On Monday, the United Nations reported that nearly 360,000 Palestinians have fled as a result.

“We have seen some momentum building but unfortunately, things didn’t move in the right direction and right now we are in a status of almost a stalemate. Of course, what happened with Rafah sent us backwards,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during an earlier panel at the economic forum.

“What is [Hamas’] strong request? To stop the continued aggression and atrocities against children, women and the continued bombardment of Gaza,” Ibrahim added during his panel talk.

He further denounced Israeli occupation as “colonisation [and the] dispossession of other [people’s] land.”

Prime Minister Ibrahim also said that his diplomatic relations with America and China have not been negatively affected because of this stance.

Developments in Gaza were also important items on the agenda during the Malaysian Prime Minister’s official talks with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

On Monday, the Amiri Diwan reported that both sides discussed “regional and international issues of common concern, especially the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Amir and Malaysian Prime Minister also discussed strategies to bolster economic and trade relations between the two countries.