GEORGE TOWN, March 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the Israeli air strike that killed aid workers from Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) who were carrying out a humanitarian mission in Gaza.

He said the Malaysian government is officially protesting against the ongoing violence by the Israeli regime.

“We strongly condemn the killing of Mapim volunteers who were there on a humanitarian mission, assisting patients and others,” he said in a brief press conference after a closed-door meeting at Penang Development Corporation (PDC) here.

It was reported that eight Mapim humanitarian workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Saturday.

The attack occurred at around 1.30pm local time while they were setting up tents to shelter displaced families affected by the ongoing conflict in the region.

The eight humanitarian workers who were killed were identified as Mahmoud Yahya Al-Sarraj, Bilal Hossam Oqeila, Mahmoud Samir Oselim, Mahmoud Khaled Oselim, Mohammed Al-Ghafeer, Hazem Ghareeb, Bilal Abu Matar, and Ahmad Hamad.

Mapim has set up around 1,000 tents as shelters for displaced families affected by the ongoing air strikes in Gaza.