Dozens of Gazan civilians, mostly women and children who were brought for treatment in Malaysia, rioted and protested their accommodation conditions at a guesthouse near the capital Kuala Lumpur. The Gazans set fire to the entrance to the hotel and broke garden furniture and planters placed at the location.
The protest began after the Gazans were prohibited from leaving the complex ahead of their return, apparently to Palestinian Authority territories. The Gazans were angry and demanded to be returned to Egypt. At least one Gazan woman raised a sign saying, "No to deportation – we need to return to Egypt." It's important to note that the civilians cannot return to Gaza at this stage due to the closure of the Rafah crossing and IDF activity along the Philadelphi Corridor.
Video: Gazans brought for treatment in Malaysia riot at their hotel. Credit: Social media
The publication of the protest and damage caused to the guesthouse sparked outrage on the social media network X. "We sympathize with oppressed peoples. But we forget that Arabs are rude and rebellious, unlike Asians who are polite and patient," a user named Saifik wrote in response to one of the published videos. "Just let these tribal people return to where they came from. They themselves don't want to stay, why are you keeping them?" a user named Jamtha wondered.
The publication of the videos stirred internal divisions within Malaysian society, which is majority Malay Muslim but at least a quarter of its population is of Chinese origin. "Israel is laughing at Malaysia after they watched this video," Zheng, a Malaysian citizen of Chinese origin who spells his name in Chinese characters, wrote. His words sparked anger. "I never thought I'd see such responses from Malaysians. Whoever published the video must be Chinese. You are heartless," a user responded to Zheng's comments.
It appears that despite the anger the riot sparked, most Malaysian users feel great sympathy with the Palestinians and their plight, although many seem unwilling to import this distress to their country. "There's nothing wrong with helping Palestinians, but there must be a limit. We can't bring them here because the implications are too great," the user who uploaded the video concluded.
