Malaysia welcomes Hamas’ conditional acceptance of the 20-point Peace Plan proposed by US president Donald Trump, says foreign minister Mohamad Hasan.
He said the development is seen as a starting point towards lasting peace for Palestine and its people.
“Alhamdulillah, we are grateful that Hamas has accepted (the plan), even if conditionally. This means it cannot be used as an excuse that Hamas has rejected these 20 points, to continue attacking Gaza and killing Palestinians,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after visiting the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) here today.
According to Mohamad, the acceptance also reflects Hamas’ willingness to seek a peaceful solution.
Commenting further, the minister said he expected humanitarian aid routes through the Rafah Crossing and the King Hussein Bridge to be opened once the peace plan is implemented.
In this regard, he urged any parties wishing to channel aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank to liaise directly with Wisma Putra so that the delivery process can be organised quickly and systematically.
“Those who want to help after this should go through the Rafah Crossing and the King Hussein Bridge because once they are opened, the delivery of aid can take place swiftly,” he said.
Earlier today, Hamas was reported to have accepted part of the ceasefire plan proposed by Trump, but stated that several elements in the plan still require further negotiations.
On Friday, Trump set a deadline of 6pm on Sunday (6am Monday in Malaysia) for Hamas to agree to the plan.
The plan, among others, aims to make Gaza a demilitarised zone with a transitional governing mechanism directly overseen by the US president through an international body tasked with monitoring its implementation.
It also includes the release of all Israeli captives within 72 hours of the plan’s approval, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The plan further calls for an end to hostilities, the disarmament of all armed groups in Gaza, and Israel’s phased withdrawal from the territory, which would then be administered by a technocratic authority under the supervision of an international body led by the US president.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.
The blockade was tightened in March when the regime closed border crossings and restricted the delivery of food and medicine, triggering a famine crisis.
Since October 2023, over 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces.
