Anwar said he would meet the leaders of the NGOs on Tuesday to coordinate efforts and identify the best approach to channel the aid.

“I will also contact Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

“Hopefully this (transporting aid via Egypt) will be easier. But the more important thing is to get our message across: that we back the Palestinian cause,” he told a crowd of over 10,000 at the Solidarity with Gaza gathering here last night.

Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby, director-general of the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre, had earlier sought Anwar’s permission to activate a second humanitarian mission to war-torn Gaza.

Sany’s request followed the failure of the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver aid to Gaza after it was intercepted by Israeli forces.

Some 23 Malaysian volunteers were also detained by Israeli forces before being released and deported.

The volunteers who arrived home on Tuesday were also in attendance at last night’s gathering.