The Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim accused Meta Platforms of cowardice after his post was removed on Facebook for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in yet another dispute between his government and the company over blocked content.

For his part, Communications Minister Fahmi Fajil, during a regular press briefing, said Malaysia has sought an explanation from Meta Platforms, which has yet to respond.

The Muslim-majority country backs the Palestinian claim, and Anwar had posted a video of a phone call he had with a Hamas official to express his condolences over Haniya’s death, which was later removed.

The killing of Haniya in Iran yesterday heightened concerns about the outcome of the conflict in Gaza and the risk of a Middle East flare-up.

Anwar, who met with Haniya in Qatar in May, has said he has good relations with Hamas’ political leadership but no relationship at the military level.

“Let this serve as a clear and unmistakable message to Meta: Stop this display of cowardice,” Anwar wrote on his Facebook page.

Meta has labeled it a “dangerous organization”. Hamas and prohibits any content that excludes it.

It also uses a combination of automatic detection and content inspection by its employees to remove or flag visual material it deems dangerous.

Malaysia has previously complained to Meta about content being removed, including local media coverage of Anwar’s latest meeting with Haniya, which was then re-added.

At the time, Meta responded that it does not intentionally remove views on Facebook or restrict pro-Palestinian content.