Malaysia on Wednesday banned Israeli cargo ships from docking at the country's ports in response to Israeli military operations in Gaza that Kuala Lumpur said “fail fundamental humanitarian principles.”
Ships bound for Israel will also be banned from loading goods at ports in the predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country, its Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement.
Also affected is the Israeli shipping company ZIM, which has been registered in Malaysia since 2002, although the two countries do not have diplomatic relations, the prime minister added.
“These sanctions are a response to Israel’s actions, which disregard basic humanitarian principles and violate international law with the ongoing massacre and violence against Palestinians,” he said.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, after the Palestinian movement carried out an attack on Israeli soil on October 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly, according to an AFP count Civilians figures.
According to Israeli authorities, about 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas in that attack, 129 of whom are still in Gaza.
According to a recent report from the Hamas Ministry of Health, 19,667 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli bombings and attacks in Palestinian territory since October.
The two camps appear to be increasing their signals for a new ceasefire after it first lasted a week in late November. This allowed the exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and the transport of more humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged Gaza Strip.