A rally on Oct. 24 to express solidarity with the Palestinians was held in Malaysia's Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, attracting a capacity 16,000 strong crowd, as well as the attendance of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Return

Anwar had just returned after a multi-day trip to the Middle East, part of his involvement in the inaugural Asean - Gulf Cooperation Council summit.

But his trip also involved regional visits, including meeting with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He made his way to the arena after returning to Malaysia.

The arena itself was packed, with the Malay Mail reporting that people had begun to gather outside the venue an hour and a half before the start of the event despite the fact it was raining.

Anwar turned up wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian garment, similar to one that he had worn while speaking about Palestine in Malaysia's parliament.

Bernama reported that Anwar addressed the crowd, saying that he had received what he deemed "threats" on account of Malaysian's firm support of and commitment to defending the rights of the Palestinian people, as well as his critique of the Israeli government.

Anwar warned that her was the "wrong person" to threaten. "As long as I have the trust of the people, I will not succumb to such threats."

Anwar said that he had spoken out against what he deemed the "hypocritical stance" of the United States, and that Arab nations had conveyed "deep appreciation" for Malaysia's efforts in addressing the conflict.

Anwar also said that the Islamic leaders whom he had recently met, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohamad bin Salman, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had acknowledged the difficulty in resolving the conflict.

Party unity

Anwar's pro-Palestinian stance predates the recent Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas and subsequent retaliation, having spoken on the Palestinian issue in September's United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Analysts that Bernama spoke to said that Anwar's support for Palestine was a "hallmark" of Malaysia's international relations under his leadership.

Oh Ei Sun, of the Pacific Research Centre said that Anwar "aspired to be acknowledged as an advocate for the Muslim world" especially on the Palestine issue.

He also said that domestically "the Palestinian plight is probably one of the few issues that could unite the Malay-dominated parties", and that Anwar had to put himself at its forefront.

But non-Malay parties have also expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, notably the Malaysian Chinese Association, who condemned the "ongoing violations of international law and human rights by Israel", as reported by the New Straits Times on Oct. 10.

Hostages

The conflict continues, with fears about fuel levels in Gaza's hospitals, and about the safe passage of humanitarian aid now allowed to pass through the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Hamas, the group in charge of the Gaza strip, has now released four out of the estimated 220 hostages that they have been holding since Oct. 7.

The initial pair of hostages released were a mother and daughter,  and the most recent two are a pair of women aged 79 and 85.

Reuters said that the older hostage, Yocheved Lifshitz, said she had "been through hell".

Lifshitz described her abduction, saying that she had been tied up and transported on a motorcycle, to an unknown, underground location, while some of her captors had beaten her with sticks and stole her jewellery.

But Lifshitz also said that within the "spider's web" of damp tunnels, where she was kept with five other people from her community, she was provided food, hygiene, and medical attention.

Lifshitz also accused Israeli security forces as ignoring her community's concerns that an attack was imminent, saying that they were "left to fend for themselves".

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Top image via Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook