THE Malaysian Humanitarian Aid & Relief (MAHAR) today reiterated its call for Israel to immediately cease all military operations in Rafah.

In a statement, Mahar said overnight, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and injured dozens of unarmed civilians, including women, children and infants in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip.

“If Russian forces had burned alive dozens of refugees, including children, there would be screams of outrage and disgust from Western leaders and the media.

“However, when Palestinians are burned alive by Israel, the best that can be hoped for is hand-wringing and there has been no attempt to disguise how little is attached to a Palestinian’s life.

“Israel’s political and military leaders could not have been clearer from the state that they were planning one of the greatest crimes of our age,” read the statement.

MAHAR advisor, Nurul Izzah Anwar pressed for Israel to be stripped of its military capabilities as allies did to Germany after the Second World War following the genocide & use of weapons on unarmed civilians - which included the burning of children and babies.

She also emphasised the importance of reopening unimpeded access at the Rafah Border for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza without any more unreasonable and unacceptable restrictions.

The attack came despite a ruling by the ICJ that ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 last year.

The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine. – May 28, 2024.