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Malaysia seizes several Israel-bound container ships: Report

September 16, 2026

Malaysian authorities detained three Israel-bound containers at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, holding them for nearly a month while they examine their contents, Bloomberg reported on 15 September, as Kuala Lumpur bars trade with Israel in response to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

The containers were stopped on 19 August as they moved toward Ashdod Port, south of Tel Aviv, carrying electric bike components shipped by the Chinese firm Chongqing Mobimax Technology Co., according to manifests reviewed by Bloomberg.

Tracking records from the carrier, Maersk, still show the cargo sitting at the southern Malaysian port nearly a month later.

Malaysia bans imports from and exports to Israel under its customs law, though the legislation does not extend to goods merely passing through its ports.

The Border Control and Protection Agency said the matter is under investigation and declined to comment further, while the Royal Malaysian Customs Department gave no comment.

Those seizures followed an earlier incident on 7 August, when the same agency stopped a container arriving from the Philippines on suspicion that it contained weapons. The container was found to be bound for Elbit Systems, an Israeli military technology firm, and was also held at the port.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said at the time that his country would not serve as a channel for trade capable of supporting or contributing to “the cruelty of the Israeli regime.”

Anwar had moved against Israeli shipping before, barring the Israeli firm ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from Malaysian ports in December 2023, at the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Malaysia holds no diplomatic ties with Israel and refuses entry to Israeli passport holders without prior permission.

Back in July, Anwar ordered the immediate deportation of any Israeli nationals found at the Network School, a tech co-living commune in Forest City, Johor, after reports that Israelis had entered the country on second passports.

Authorities later shut the academy down following an investigation into whether its students had breached Malaysian immigration rules.

Founded by former Coinbase executive Balaji Srinivasan, the commune promotes the creation of quasi-sovereign startup societies built on cryptocurrency and minimal regulation.

Johor’s chief minister said at the time that the state would not be used as a base for movements working against Malaysian law and sovereignty.