ISTANBUL

Veteran Malaysian statesman and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urged the world on Wednesday to "rise” above the “fear” of the US to stop the genocide in the Gaza Strip.

“We fear America. But we must rise above our fears. There are ways to stop the killing,” Mahathir wrote on X, adding US support for Israel prevents nations from extending help to Gaza.

"And the world can do nothing. Why? It is because backing fully Israelis genocide is the great American people. These are the people who talk so much about human rights, the sanctity of life etc. etc.," said Mahathir.

The former prime minister said the US considers the rest of the world as an “enemy" and accuses them of "cheating America."

Mahathir warned that the world is “facing a serious threat of a third world war,” urging countries to "call the US’ bluff.”

“Only a threat against America will stop it from joining Israel in the mass killing of the Palestinian people, hoping to conquer Gaza to make it into a tourist resort," said the veteran statesman.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

Nearly 52,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.