Pakistan calls for immediate end to violence by Israeli forces in Gaza

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday said that Pakistan is deeply concerned by the escalating hostility in the Middle East and the loss of innocent lives.

Israel battered Gaza on Sunday, a day after suffering its bloodiest attack in decades when Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns, killing hundreds and abducting an unknown number of others.

Overnight, Israeli air strikes had hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 300 people, including 20 children.

“Pakistan is deeply concerned by the escalating hostility in the Middle East and the loss of innocent lives. We stand in solidarity with Palestinians and call for an immediate end to the violence and oppression by Israeli occupation forces,” Jilani wrote on his X account.

He said that a viable and sovereign state of Palestine must be established on the basis of pre-1967 borders and UN resolutions.

Read more: Israel airstrikes in Gaza rage on after deadly Hamas raid

“The international community needs to intervene to bring an end to the conflict, protect civilians, and work towards a lasting peace in the Middle East,” the foreign minister further said.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi called upon the international community to play its active role for a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine dispute in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and international law.

In a post on X, the president said progress towards peace could not materialise without condemnation of usurpation and brutalisation of Palestinian rights and people by Israel.

Also read: Pakistan calls for maximum restraint in Israel-Palestine conflict

“Continuous annexation of land, illegal settlements, disproportionate reactions and killings. The result is no hope and no progress towards peace.”

He said that the time had come to move forward in line with UN resolutions. “International community can play a big role today towards world peace.”

A day earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) had called for exercising maximum restraint, urging the international community to come together for cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and pursuit of a lasting peace in the region.

“We are closely monitoring the unfolding situation in the Middle East and the eruption of hostilities between the Israelis and Palestinians,” the FO spokesperson said in a statement.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed concerns about the “human cost of escalating situation” in the region, saying that Pakistan's stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict has been consistent, advocating for a two-state solution as the key to enduring peace in the region.