Envoy Hopes Ceasefire In Palestine Will Last, Calm Will Prevail

By Azzah Mohamad Som KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- Palestinian Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Anwar H. Al Agha hopes the ceasefire in Gaza announced Tuesday night will last for "a long time" and calm will prevail in that country. "We hope the Israelis will realise the meaning of peace and stop their killings, stop their brutality against Palestinians," he told Bernama in an interview. He also hoped that Israeli leaders responsible for the deaths of over 2,000 people, including many Palestinian civilians throughout the massive aggression against Gaza, would be brought before the international criminal court. They should take responsibility for what happened in Gaza, he said. "I think this time, they (the Israelis) are very much concerned about the ceasefire because their benefits are also being affected, because they know that they have made mistakes against our civilian people in Palestine," said the ambassador who has just returned from a Malaysian humanitarian mission to Gaza organised by Kelab Putera 1Malaysia (1Malaysia Putera Club). International news reports said the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians appeared to be holding as the focus shifted to securing an arrangement for the long term. Israel and the Palestinians agreed to stop fighting indefinitely on Tuesday, ending seven weeks of catastrophic loss in life and property. The envoy said the Israeli aggression had killed about 2,140 people and injured some 11,150 people, adding that Israeli airstrikes had also demolished thousands of houses, including high-rise towers and mosques in Gaza. On Malaysia's role in the conflict, Anwar said Malaysia could play a vital role in the international arena. "Malaysia could also try to urge some other brotherly and friendly countries to support the Palestinian cause and talk about realities," he noted. He dismissed reports by the Israeli media which claimed that Hamas members were trained in Malaysia to carry out parachute attacks. "As Israelis fabricate and create stories, they want to accuse Malaysia of different things...that they (Malaysia) are training some Palestinians, which is not true," he added. On the injured civilians in Gaza, he hoped that some 100-200 of them could come to Malaysia for treatment in the hospitals. Meanwhile, Palestinian Cultural Organisation chairman Muslim Imran thanked all the "free people of this world" who stood by Gaza throughout the war. "Your efforts and concerns matter a lot," he said. -- BERNAMA