Kuala Lumpur, August 25, 2025 – The Europe Today: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced an additional RM100 million in aid to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, bringing Malaysia’s total contribution to RM200 million since 2023.
Speaking at a special address at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday evening, Anwar said the latest pledge underscored Malaysia’s enduring solidarity with Palestine and its people.
“Tonight, I announce that Malaysia will donate another RM100 million. I urge Malaysians to remember that this country is peaceful and independent. Cherish this, and preserve peace and freedom for all,” he declared.
In one of his strongest condemnations yet of Israel, Anwar accused the Israeli government of imposing a “man-made famine” in Gaza by blocking humanitarian aid. “All kinds of aid were sent, but the Zionists allowed it to rot at the border. People are dying and starving, while food and medicine are kept away,” he said. He described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government as “insane and evil,” adding that in his 78 years, he had “never witnessed such cruelty.”
Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, saluting the resilience of the Palestinian people. “We will never leave you alone. Malaysians, together with many others, stand with you,” he stressed.
Reflecting on his decades-long involvement with the issue, Anwar recalled attending a Palestinian Liberation Organisation conference in Algiers in 1983 at the invitation of the late leader Yasser Arafat. “Now, in 2025, the struggle remains the same,” he noted, framing the Gaza conflict as a continuation of colonisation.
Quoting Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, he described the crisis as “politics of dispossession,” where “everything you own is taken away – your land, water, house, family, children, even babies.”
Following the address, a prayer session for Gaza was held, including the recitation of Qunut Nazilah. Tens of thousands of people, many dressed in white and holding placards with the slogan #GazaBangkit, gathered in solidarity.
Also present at the event were Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
During the occasion, Anwar also launched the Sumud Nusantara Convoy, a multinational humanitarian initiative involving eight countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The convoy will depart in two phases, on August 31 and September 4, travelling via Spain and Tunisia before joining the Global Flotilla bound for Gaza.
The flotilla, expected to be the largest of its kind, will comprise dozens of ships and participants from more than 50 countries, symbolizing broad international solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
