The chairman of the bipartisan committee Wong Chen said the panel planned to discuss the matter with the foreign ministry.

“The most important thing is to get refugees across to Egypt so they are safe. Crossing back to Israel is not safe,” he said at a press conference in Parliament.

“Thank God the Rafah exit is now open, I think we (Malaysia) can send a team to the Rafah area to assess whether we can help bring some (refugees) back to Malaysia.”

Wong was responding to a question on whether Malaysia should follow Scotland’s example in welcoming refugees from Gaza.

The Rafah crossing, situated at the southern border of Gaza, provides an exit route into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where many Palestinians are gathering in hopes of escaping the conflict.

Earlier, Wong said the committee urged a mandate to be given to the United Nations to mediate a ceasefire and manage the safe and orderly evacuation of refugees.

He reiterated the committee’s support for the Malaysian government’s stance on Hamas and the people of Palestine.

“Like the Malaysian government, we acknowledge that Hamas was democratically elected by the people of Gaza and therefore, has legitimate authority in Gaza.

“We support the Malaysian government’s position and its efforts in holding dialogues with Hamas and other parties to find peaceful resolutions to this severe conflict.

Additionally, Wong said the committee commended the government’s pledge to donate RM100 million in humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict.