Malaysian army ready to join possible peacekeeping force in Gaza, says army chief

ANKARA

Malaysian Army Chief Gen. Muhammad Hafizuddeain on Thursday said that his force is ready to join a possible peacekeeping force in Gaza, according to state-run media.

Speaking to reporters at the closing ceremony of the 14th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, he said that the Malaysian forces have experience in peacekeeping and are ready to join any mission, including a possible deployment to Gaza, Palestine, if asked to do so, Bernama News reported.

"We have been involved in peacekeeping operations since 1960, starting in Congo, and then in Somalia, Bosnia and Cambodia," he said.

However, Hafizuddeain noted that any participation would depend on the government’s decision, as well as an evaluation of the mission’s effectiveness and safety.

His statement came after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Tuesday that his country is ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers in Gaza.

Addressing the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Prabowo said: "If and when the Security Council and this Assembly decide,” Indonesia is ready to dispatch 20,000 or “even more” soldiers to “help secure peace in Gaza or elsewhere in Palestine as part of a united multilateral force -- so that peace in both Palestine and Israel, can become real, not just envisioned."

The Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.