KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed Malaysians are not 'united' over the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
In a post on X today, he said that some individuals believe that the ongoing conflict is caused by the differences between Palestinians and Jews, which has led to the war.
He urged Malaysians to reject Israel's actions in depriving the Palestinian people of their rights.
"It is wrong for Muslims only to demand the end of the genocidal acts of the Israelis. Everyone in Malaysia should be concerned and should demand the end of Israeli attacks against the Palestinians," he said.
Dr Mahathir emphasised that the situation has evolved into a violation of the human rights of the people in Gaza.
"As much as every human being has a right, the Gazans also should enjoy human rights. But they are deprived of their rights by the Israelis," he said.
He was commenting on the heightened tensions between Israel and Palestine following the Oct 7 conflicts, where Hamas military wing, Al Qassam Brigades, carried out a complex attack targeting Israeli settlements near Gaza, where its army faced more than 5,000 rockets, catching the Israeli Defence Force off-guard.
The Israeli Defence Force in retaliation then launched 'Operation Iron Swords' against Hamas in the Gaza Strip which had displaced and killed Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said what is happening now is similar to the Holocaust in the 1930s, when the rights of the Jews in Germany were taken away.
"The Holocaust resulted in the death of six million Jews, with many more subjected to torture and oppression.
"Now we are seeing the Jews of Israel indulging in the same deprivation of the rights of the Palestinians. It is a human tragedy. The power of the Israelis over the Palestinians is the same as the Nazis against the Jews. It is manifestly unfair and inhuman.
"The world sympathised with the Jews of Germany. And part of the rejection of the Nazis was the bestiality of the German Nazis. Many millions died so as to end the sufferings of the Jews," he added.