KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 22): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he was devastated by the “complete failure” of the international community in pushing to end Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.

“I fail to understand that, frankly. I am completely devastated by this complete failure of the international community in the name of democracy and human rights,” he said.

He said this in an interview with India Today on the sideline of his three-day official visit to New Delhi this week.

Anwar said he had recently spoken to Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on the progress of the ceasefire talks as well as the development in the region.

In his conversation with these leaders, Anwar said he had expressed support to end the war atrocities on Gaza at all costs.

Anwar said he does not condone atrocities committed by any side, and even in his exchanges with Hamas leaders, he had told them that as friend he is for peace and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“I don’t consider Hamas as terrorist (group), because they are fighting for their freedom. If you (have) a strong (objection to) terrorism, how about colonisation, what about politics of dispossession? Why the double standard?” he asked.

He said the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime on the Palestinian people and its land did not start on Oct 7 last year, but had been ongoing since more than 70 years ago.

“To me, first stop the colonisation, there is no way a sane person in this day and age can condone aggression, colonisation.

“But it has been condoned and they give umpteen reasons to rationalise that (attacks) just because of Oct 7. So, why this condescending attitude?” he said.

Israel’s continued incessant attacks on Gaza since Oct 7 has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 93,000 despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The ongoing blockade also caused the enclave to be in severe shortage of basic necessities including food, clean water, fuel and medicine, while much of Palestine is in ruins.

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