Najib was given a red carpet welcome, complete with a military band playing the Malaysian and the Palestinian anthems.
After inspecting the guard of honour, Najib accompanied by Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh addressed an open air packed press conference outside the immigration building.
What came after the prelude was something unexpected.
The Hamas host took Najib and his delegation on a fast tracked tour of destruction sites in Gaza.
A formula one driver would be proud as the convoy which carried both prime ministers passed through narrow and dusty lanes at breakneck speed.
Along the way, the programme book was thrown out of the window.
Najib was taken .to several places that were not in the original itinerary, mostly he saw first hand the destruction of houses, a stadium and mosque.
The weather was getting warmer and the host was adamant that the Malaysian leader and his delegation would see for themselves the naked aggression that the Israeli brought upon the hapless Palestinian people.
On every road and at every sites, the mostly young population of Gaza waited to steal a glimpse of a leader from faraway land which they had never seen but heard much of before.
Some children sang outside the door of their house greeting enthusiastically the passing visitors, while some waved and others took out their handphone to take pictures.
Najib was brought to the family house of slained senior Fatah leader, Ahmed Al-Jabari who was killed last November in an Israeli bombing.
At the house the six-year old son of the late commander of the Hamas military wing, Husin Al-Jabari sat quietly on Najib's lap, while Haniyeh introduced the family members to the Malaysian leader.
By then, Najib and his delegation, including the Malaysian media already felt at home in Gaza.
At every stop almost everyone greeted the Malaysian with a simple handshake, Ahlan wa Sahlan greetings and the traditional Arab embrace and kisses on both cheeks.
The winter weather maybe getting warmer but the warmth of people of Gaza even left a bigger impression on the visitors.
Najib himself felt this and spoke of it when met Haniyeh's cabinet and members of Parliament.
The Prime Minister later in a speech at Al Aqsa University in Gaza City, disclosed that some people were unhappy with his visit to Gaza.
"But I decided to follow my heart. and my heart says I should be with the Palestinian people."
"We can make statement, send assistance to Gaza but nothing beats visiting Gaza," he told the packed crowd at the university hall after being conferred, together with his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, with an honorary doctorate degree.
In the end Najib and his delegation spent about seven hours in Gaza and had to rush back to Al Arish in Egypt by road to take the flight back to Cairo where he had an appointment with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsil yesterday night.
Notwithstanding the whirlwind tour at breakneck speed, Najib said he enjoyed his visit to Gaza.
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| Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak inspecting a guard of honour at Rafah. |
(Source: http://www.nst.com.my)
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