In a posting on X, he said Malaysia remained in solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people.

He said there had been relentless confiscation of land and property belonging to the Palestinian people by Israel, and “hundreds of innocent lives were sacrificed”.

Anwar’s comments come as the foreign ministry issued a statement calling on the United Nations security council to call for a ceasefire as Israeli forces continued to battle against a surprise attack by Hamas armed men who broke out of Gaza, killing hundreds of Israelis.

The foreign ministry said the root cause of the conflict must be acknowledged. It said Palestinians had been subjected to “a prolonged illegal occupation, blockade and sufferings, the desecration of Al-Aqsa, as well as the politics of dispossession at the hands of Israel as the occupier.”

It questioned the international community’s willingness to act against Israel, and called for a more consistent stance in addressing what it described as an Israeli “apartheid administration”

“There should be no disproportionate treatment and flagrant hypocrisy in dealing with any regime that practises apartheid and blatantly violates human rights and international law,” the statement said.