Pakistan sends off second relief consignment for Gaza

FM Jilani underlines urgency of bringing immediate end to Israeli aggression, and lifting siege of Gaza

ISLAMABAD:

A special flight carrying the second consignment of relief goods for the people of occupied Gaza was seen off by Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Minister for Human Rights Khalil George on Tuesday.

Palestinian Ambassador in Islamabad Ahmad Jawad Rabei and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) were also present during the send-off ceremony at the Islamabad International Airport.

Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister expressed Pakistan’s full solidarity with Palestinian brothers and sisters and condemned Israel’s brutal, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force against civilians, including women and children, currently besieged in Gaza.

FM Jilani underlined the urgency of bringing an immediate end to Israeli aggression and lifting of the siege of Gaza. He called for upholding the principles of justice and humanity and facilitation of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

The consignment consists of hygiene kits, medicines and food packages. The first consignment was sent on October 19, 2023.

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'Stop genocide of Palestinian people'

Last week, Pakistan told a UN meeting that an immediate ceasefire was critical to meet immense needs in besieged Gaza, and called on Israel to stop its ongoing "genocide" of Palestinian people.

"We cannot mince our words; we have to tell the Israelis: stop the genocide," Ambassador Munir Akram said during a briefing on the 'Humanitarian Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'.

In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said that the Israelis, having suffered the Holocaust, were now committing the "modern genocide" against the Palestinians, and "we must call it for what it is". In this regard, he called for respecting and adhering to the international humanitarian law that forbids attacks on civilians and civilian objects.

"Let us, as the international community, adhere to what the General Assembly has said. Let us adhere to what the international humanitarian law says," Ambassador Akram said.

"This is what we expect from all those who are leading the United Nations, all those who are speaking for the conscience of the international community."