Malaysia said to have seized another three containers bound for Israel

KUALA LUMPUR – The authorities in Malaysia have seized several more Israel-bound shipments at one of the country’s biggest ports, according to people familiar with the matter, reflecting an apparently new level of scrutiny in a nation where anti-Israeli sentiment runs high. 

Three containers bound for Ashdod Port south of Tel Aviv were detained at Malaysia’s Tanjung Pelepas port in mid-August and to date have not been released as the authorities investigate their contents, the people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly.

The seizures follow an initial detainment of another container on Aug 7 that originally came from the Philippines and that was suspected by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency of containing weapons because it was headed to Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence technology firm, according to a statement from the agency at the time.

Tracking data from Hapag-Lloyd, the container line carrying the cargo, shows the shipment is still at Tanjung Pelepas.

The other three seizures happened on Aug 19, the people said.

Those containers housed electric bicycle parts that were being shipped from a Chinese manufacturer, Chongqing Mobimax Technology, according to manifests seen by Bloomberg News.

Tracking data from the liner carrying those cargoes, AP Moller-Maersk, also shows them still at the busy transshipment port almost a month later.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, commenting on the Aug 7 seizure, said the South-east Asian nation would not be a conduit to trade flows that can support or contribute to “the cruelty of the Israeli regime”.

Malaysia does not have diplomatic or trade relations with Israel.

This reflects its longstanding position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and therefore prohibits imports from and exports to Israel under its customs legislation.

The legislation, however, excludes transit goods.

Representatives for Anwar’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson from the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency said the matter is under investigation and the agency was unable to comment further.

The Royal Malaysian Customs Department, whose legislation the agency uses to conduct enforcement at ports, declined to comment.

The Johor Port Authority, which oversees ports in the Malaysian state, also said the matter is under review.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport did not respond to a request for comment.

Representatives for Elbit Systems declined to comment, while Mobimax Technology did not respond to a request for comment.

Representatives for Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk declined to comment.

Pro-Palestinian sentiment has long been strong in Muslim-majority Malaysia and intensified after the Gaza war began in October 2023, driving widespread public protests and consumer boycotts.

Anwar, who has been a vocal Israel critic, in December of that year banned Israeli shipping company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from using Malaysian ports.

More recently, the authorities in July 2026 shuttered crypto investor Balaji Srinivasan’s start-up academy, the Johor-based Network School.

This came after an investigation triggered by claims that Israeli students were studying at the tech commune in breach of Malaysian immigration rules. Israeli passport holders are banned from entering Malaysia without permission.

The Port of Tanjung Pelepas is located near the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. It is Malaysia’s second-biggest port but its largest in terms of transshipment volumes, which account for around 90 per cent of the cargo it handles. BLOOMBERG