Amid Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza, thousands of people gathered in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to express their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: The rally, organized by local NGOs Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and MyCare, took place on Sunday at Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square. These organizations have been actively involved in providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

Many of the demonstrators donned the keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, and carried placards advocating for peace in Palestine and an end to US support for the Israeli military.

Syikin Samsuddin, a 40-year-old IT specialist, shared her sentiments at the rally, stating, "It's hard to even watch the videos because I can't imagine (what) it is like to live there with bombs all around. It's very unfortunate that during this era, this peaceful era for most of the world, there's one place where it's occupied and there's apartheid. It's so sad."

Hussein Abuzaineh, a 35-year-old Palestinian protester, expressed the concerns his family in the West Bank is facing as violence escalates in the region. He mentioned an Israeli airstrike on a mosque. Abuzaineh stated, "From here, it makes me feel helpless or powerless to some extent to see that the boundaries of the atrocities can still keep happening at more aggressive or extreme stages. But we do what we can to show our support and send our love and care to everyone, especially the civilians out there. Because in the end, everyone wants to live peacefully, in harmony with everyone around."

While Sunday's rally was peaceful, a more confrontational protest occurred on Friday outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, during which protesters clashed with the police.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has vocally supported the Palestinian cause and condemned Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Palestinian officials report that about 4,400 people have been killed in the violence.

Anwar expressed his concern, saying, "I don't have any choice as there is killing of young children and women." He announced last week that Malaysia would provide 100 million ringgit ($21 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country with approximately 60 percent of its population practicing Islam, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Notably, Kuala Lumpur has a longstanding relationship with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Syikin Samsuddin, reflecting on the perception of Palestinians in the West, lamented, "I think we should support the Palestinians who have been oppressed for many, many long years, for almost 50 years. We, as humans collectively, as sisters and brothers, should support each other."

Hussein Abuzaineh expressed optimism about the changing attitudes toward Palestinians globally, even though it may be a slow process. He observed, "(The international response is) somewhat polarized right now. It shows that there's a lot of awareness that's increasing towards the support of the Palestinian cause, and to finally give a fair share of attention to what the Palestinians have been pleading for since 1948, which is fair standards of living and equality."/Tasnim