BRUGES: Malaysia, Belgium, and the European Union (EU) have welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza and hope Israel will maintain peace, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He expressed relief that both Israel and Hamas were willing to seek reconciliation amid the ongoing tensions.
“This means the ceasefire can stop the brutal attacks by Israel on Gaza. For us, that is the effect,“ he said at a press conference following his two-day visit to Belgium.
However, the Prime Minister noted that the most pressing issue now was the effort to rebuild Gaza, which had been left in ruins.
“Now, it is our collective responsibility to rebuild Gaza,“ he said, after delivering a keynote address titled ‘Bridging Regions: Strengthening Southeast Asia-European Resilience’ at the College of Europe (COE) here, about 98 kilometres from Brussels.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11.15 am local time (5.15 pm Malaysian time) on Sunday (Jan 19), after a delay of several hours due to accusations by Israel that Hamas had delayed the list of hostages to be released.
It was initially scheduled to begin at 8.30 am local time.
Since Oct 7, 2023, nearly 47,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, and more than 110,700 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to local health authorities.
Earlier on Monday (Jan 20), Anwar met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to discuss Malaysia-Belgium ties, enhance bilateral cooperation, and exchange views on regional and international issues.
He also met with senior EU officials, starting with Kaja Kallas, who is the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, followed by a private meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa.
The Prime Minister has next left for Davos, Switzerland, to attend the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Summit.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, will be in Davos for the WEF meeting until Jan 24, with around 3,000 participants, including 60 heads of state and key decision-makers expected to attend.
