Israel-Gaza war: Malaysia’s Anwar defends Hamas ties, says Islamist group sees him as ‘friend’ amid peace talks

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended his continued engagement with Hamas, saying his decades-long ties with the Palestinian Islamist group gave him an edge in attempts to broker for peace in the Middle East.

Anwar said that he was appealing to Hamas leaders to accept decisions made by neighbouring countries to secure peace, such as returning their hostages in exchange for the prisoners in Israel, and accepting a two-state solution. The Malaysian prime minister met with a Hamas delegation in Qatar last week.