More than 12,000 Malaysians attended a Palestine solidarity gathering on Sunday (August 4) at a Kuala Lumpur stadium in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Aishah Lee, a 40-year-old Malaysian Muslim, was moved to tears as she recounted her shock upon hearing about Haniyeh’s death and expressed her concerns about the situation in Gaza.
“The ceasefire plan was already on the table and being discussed. Now that the mediator has been killed, it’s uncertain whether the ceasefire will proceed,” she said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and several officials were also present at the event.
Haniyeh, who was the face of Hamas international diplomacy, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday (July 31) a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of Haniyeh and have pledged to retaliate. Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the death.
